Questions tagged [declinatio]
For questions about declension—the inflection of Latin nouns and adjectives to mark grammatical features such as case and number.
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questions
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Where does the word “tudes” 'hammer' show up in texts?
Lewis and Short has an entry for a noun tŭdes, with the genitive singular given as "is (ĭtis, acc. to Fest. p. 253 Müll.)". It is defined as "a hammer, mallet". The two citations in the entry show the ...
5
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1answer
67 views
Can Greek letter names be declined?
There seems to be solid evidence that Latin letter names were indeclinable.
But in Greek, several letters' names do fit into standard declension patterns: sigma, for instance, might actually be a -ma ...
6
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1answer
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Dies and the fifth declension
In an answer to this question on Ζεύς Draconis mentions (quoting his own post on another site):
The accusative form of the root, *dyēm (cf AGrk Zēn), also survived in Latin, in the form *diēm > ...
3
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1answer
64 views
Words belong to the first and second declension at the same time
Exter, magnus, diduus, they all belong to the first declension and also the second declension.
Why these adjectives are so special?
3
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1answer
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Do first-declension neuter nouns or adjectives have plural forms?
Although almost all first-declension nouns are feminine or masculine, there seem to be a handful of adjectives that belong to the first declension for all genders, and at least one substantive noun, ...
3
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2answers
105 views
Was “Pascha” ever used as a neuter first-declension noun?
Before today, I thought that there was no neuter substantive1 noun with a nominative singular in a and a genitive singular in ae. However, I have encountered references to a possible exception: some ...
4
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2answers
383 views
How to find the stem of any word?
I am wondering if the stem of every word has an exact form?
For example:
For the word genus, how could you determine is it gen or gener?
For the word līber, how could you determine is it līber or ...
2
votes
1answer
118 views
Declining “dulcis” in context
I want to translate the phrase
It's just like a big recorder
where "recorder" is the musical instrument. The generic Latin for "flute" seems to be "tibia" (pipe), so I settled on using the Latin ...
5
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1answer
63 views
How are “Arsaces” and “Gotarzes” declined, and why?
Declinatione nominum latinorum a nominibus graecis quae -ης finiuntur perturbor.
Dictionarium L&S exhibet "Arsăces, is m." a nomine graeco Ἀρσάκης. (E in syllaba ultima de "Arsăces" longum esse ...
5
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1answer
89 views
How did vulgus get its ending?
Vulgus "crowd, mob, common people" is a neuter second-declension noun. But unlike most second-declension neuters, it ends in -us, like a masculine.
How did this happen? Is there an etymological ...
5
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1answer
105 views
Genitives like “axeos”
I recently encountered a text written in Latin in Finland about two centuries ago using the form axeos.
From context it was clear that it was a genitive, and it looks just like the Greek genitive of ...
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What consonants can a noun stem end in?
As TKR mentions, third-declension nouns in Latin have stems ending with a consonant (*). Off the top of my head, I can think of stems ending in various different consonants: rex, for example, has a G ...
5
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3answers
121 views
Do any non-second-declension neuter nouns end in m?
I have the impression that the ending -m appears on neuter nouns (in the nominative/accusative form) only in the second declension, but I don't know whether there are any exceptions. Is there any ...
4
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1answer
91 views
Why aren't cardinal numbers over three inflected?
I've been looking through some etymologies and it seems to me that cardinals past trēs aren't inflected. Is this correct, and if so, what's the logic in forming words with indeclinable numbers? Take, ...
4
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1answer
133 views
“Deus meus”, aut “Deus mī”?
I was taught that meus had a special irregular vocative, mī. (So "my father" in the vocative would be pater mī, not pater meus.)
However, there's a line that shows up a few times in the Vulgate that ...
2
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1answer
127 views
Different greek cases for Theos
Trying to improve my understanding of biblical greek and ran across something odd.
Theos - Θεός is nominative.
Theon - Θεόν is accusative.
TheO - Θεῷ is dative.
Theou - Θεοῦ genitive.
Theoi - θεοί ...
10
votes
1answer
615 views
Exactly what is a declension?
I was reading a Latin grammar book (Jenney's First Year Latin, for the curious) having recently resolved to learn a bit about the language and what I understood was as follows:
Latin is an inflected ...
7
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1answer
286 views
What declension are θορυβος and κοσμος?
I'm curious about what declension θορυβος and κοσμος are in Attic Greek. They appear to be second declension (θορυβος, -ου and κοσμος, -ου), but in the Athenaze workbook (which I'm slowly working my ...
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0answers
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Sappho Lobel-Page 136: to amend, or not to amend?
The fragment is reported by the tradition as:
Ἦρος ἄγγελος ἱμερόφωνος ἀήδων
Or sometimes with ἡμερόφωνος. It would seem we just need to fix a psilosis for the third word. However, Edmonds and ...
7
votes
3answers
116 views
Can I pluralize letters of the alphabet?
In English, it's very common to talk about letters of the alphabet in the plural: he writes his R's backwards, for example, is a perfectly natural sentence. But the Latin names for the letters don't ...
5
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1answer
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Translation: Out of my death, new life
I took a Latin course a few years ago, and now I'm trying my hand for a friend's tattoo.
Is my translation of the title correct?
English: Out of my death, new life.
Latin attempt: Ex mei mortis ...
7
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1answer
372 views
Extra syllable in “foedus”
Foedus is both a noun and an adjective. As a noun, it is classified as third declension, since its genitive ends in -is: foederis.
I am intrigued however on the added "er" syllable. Why not foedis? ...
2
votes
1answer
106 views
Can cases be replaced with prepositions + nominative?
Consider the word domus. Standard cases are domi, domo, domum, domo, domis.
I wonder whether we could replace the above (and perhaps every single noun), with the "equivalent" preposition + nominative....
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1answer
128 views
Interchange between u- and o-stem forms in suffixed derivatives (e.g. “lectus”, “lectuarius”)
A little while back, I asked a question about the alleged Latin word "tribalis" (which it seems was not actually used), and I mentioned that it seemed to me that it would be an irregular formation ...
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1answer
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NSFW - Trying to create a Latin motto for a coat of arms - Edited for clarity
So, I took a couple years of Latin in school, but it's been awhile. I was trying to create this motto, and I'm not sure if I'm declining the nouns properly. Also not sure I remember if word order is ...
5
votes
1answer
133 views
Adjectives that decline as consonant stems in the neuter plural nominative/accusative
From what I have read, most third-declension Latin adjectives other than comparatives take the i-stem endings -ī, ium and -ia in the ablative singular, genitive plural and neuter nominative/accusative ...
5
votes
1answer
137 views
Are there any indeclinable adjectives?
I had until recently believed that only nouns could be "declinable" versus "indeclinable": most nouns follow set declensions patterns, while a few (mostly foreign, like Abraham from Hebrew, but some ...
5
votes
2answers
431 views
In which case should book authors be written?
At the beginning of every book, there is the name of the author followed by the title itself. However, the case, in which the author's name is written may vary. Let me illustrate with two examples:
...
2
votes
1answer
107 views
Why does Latin use declensions instead of just cases and gender?
What is the purpose of declensions? I know that 1st declension is female second is male and 3rd is neuter, but then why 4 and 5? What is the purpose of several declensions?
5
votes
1answer
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Plura or pluria?
Before answering this recent question about the US motto, I had to check whether the neuter version of plures is plura or pluria.
I had recalled right: plura appears to be indeed the sole form used in ...
4
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1answer
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16th stanza of Dies irae
The 16th stanza of Dies irae reads:
Confutatis maledictis,
Flammis acribus addictis,
Voca me cum benedictis.
Why are the first two lines in 2nd person plural, while the last one is 2nd ...
3
votes
2answers
128 views
Genitive of Sappho: Sapphonis or Sapphus?
As I posted on the Wiktionary Tea Room:
Consulting Bergk's edition of Sappho, I have seem various instances of this genitive "Sapphonis" (e.g. «Sapphonis esse videtur») in the critical notes. This ...
6
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1answer
190 views
How common is the genitive plural ending -um in the first declension?
In an answer, Draconis said the genitive plural -um (instead of -arum) is sometimes used in the first declension. Now, while -um is fairly common in poetry and with certain specific words, like deum, ...
5
votes
1answer
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General term for each inflected form of a lexeme
illī is a X of ille declension.
illī is singular dative masculine form of ille.
In the first sentence what we should say instead of X?
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2answers
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Latin phrase, modelled on “horror vacui”, for the fear of “equality”?
A usual latin phrase is horror vacui, which in English can be rendered as fear of emptiness.
Question: what do you consider a correct Latin translation of the English fear of equality?
The question ...
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2answers
244 views
Which common nouns have a locative?
I recently mentioned to someone the mnemonic I'd learned for the locative: "cities, towns, islands smaller than Rhodes, and domus and rus". In other words, only the names of cities, towns, and small ...
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3answers
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What would the singular of a tribes-people like Caledonii be?
This map names a lot of tribes-people. The one in Scotland is called "Caledonii".
I'm assuming "Caledonii" is the plural form of the people. I've also seen other maps where the land is called "...
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2answers
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New testament Romans 2:8 - Why is nominative used instead of accusative like the previous verse?
See the Vatican version here:
6 qui reddet unicuique secundum opera eius:
7 his quidem, qui secundum patientiam boni operis gloriam et honorem
et incorruptionem quaerunt, vitam aeternam;
...
6
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1answer
339 views
Why “a man” instead of “to a man” in this translation?
Cornēliō, virō magnae sapientiae, dabō pulchrum librum novum is rendered into English as "To Cornelius, a man of great wisdom, I will give this fine new book" on this page of Latin translation ...
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1answer
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What declension is the name, Aeneas?
How would you decline this noun? It can not be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd declension. Also, how would you say "of Aeneas", which is genitive case?
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votes
1answer
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Constantis vs. constantes et similia
Following up on @brianpck's suggestion in this question:
In this passage:
Maxume vero sunt admirabiles motus earum quinque stellarum quae falso vocantur errantes; nihil enim errat quod in omni ...
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3answers
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What is the difference between Iesus and Jesu?
In the Latin version of the Gloria, the name Jesus is rendered as "Domine Fili unigenite Jesu Christe".
However, in the Latin Vulgate, the name of Jesus is rendered as "Iesus". What is the name of ...
6
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1answer
494 views
Is 'Delphī' a second declension word?
From the genitive 'Delphōrum', it seems to belong to the second declension. But is it used as a singular or a plural?
10
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1answer
262 views
What gender would “this” or “that” be in if there is no subject to describe?
With a specified subject or object, it's easy to say "this" or "that."
This picture is of my dream.
Haec pictura somnii mei est.
But what if the noun being described is not present?
What ...
6
votes
1answer
103 views
Can a noun have more than one preposition? [duplicate]
While doing some independent translating, I came upon a sentence structure which I am having difficulty putting into Latin. The structure is as follows:
into and out of the X of Y
or, more ...
5
votes
3answers
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When I am the subject and the direct object of a phrase
I want to translate the following French quote from Paul Valéry:
Je ne suis pas toujours d'accord avec moi-même.
Which roughly translates into:
I don't always agree with myself.
I want it to ...
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2answers
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Latin declension of a proper name, especially a city name
How can I figure out the Latin declension of a proper name, especially a city name?
For example, consider the city of Marash in Turkey.
It appears in various forms in medieval Latin sources: Marasim, ...
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votes
2answers
656 views
What is the significance of the different declensions and conjugations?
I've been slowly trying to teach myself Latin with the help of this site.
I've gone past the parts where it talks about first, second, third etc declension nouns, and it all seems quite arbitrary as ...
12
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2answers
304 views
Why do we call a case a casus? And why rectus, obliquus?
I would translate the grammatical word casus (whence English case) as "a fall". And, indeed, the German word is Fall, Dutch naamval ("name fall"). Why is this word used for the grammatical function of ...
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2answers
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Do *Mundi* and *Mundum* mean different things?
I came across this expression in the book: The Invisible Man, (H.G. Wells)
Griffin contra mundum...with a vengeance
From my very basic knowledge of Latin (I'm a Bio. student) I take it that contra ...
