Questions tagged [declinatio-tertia]
For questions about the third declension.
14
questions
8
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2answers
781 views
'Fomites'? From 'fomes'?
Of the many candidates for 'word of the year', 'fomites' is a semifinalist for sure (with the added flavor of multiple pronunciations).
But why the dental '-t-' in the plural? What is the pattern? Is ...
5
votes
1answer
189 views
How did vāti-s become vātēs?
To my understanding, vātēs "bard" started out as an i-stem noun, built on the stem vāti- (probably from something like *weh₂t-i-). So I would expect the nominative to look something like *vāti-s.
...
5
votes
1answer
113 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
votes
1answer
122 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 ...
6
votes
2answers
591 views
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
votes
1answer
223 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
242 views
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 ...
7
votes
1answer
107 views
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 ...
6
votes
2answers
192 views
How can you ascertain whether an apparently r-stem noun is actually s-stem?
Is there a way to ascertain whether a third declension noun ending in -r in the nominative and -ris in the genitive is r-stem or s-stem?
BACKGROUND
I understand that the s in some s-stem words has ...
13
votes
1answer
494 views
-eris, -oris, -uris?
Much to students' annoyance, nouns ending in -us can belong to either the second (servus), third (tempus), or fourth (circus) declensions. I understand the origin of the second and fourth: Proto-Indo-...
10
votes
1answer
168 views
Plural dative and ablative of Greek neuters ending in -ma
There are several third declension neuters of Greek origin ending in -ma with genitive -matis.
These have otherwise regular third declension forms, but the plural dative and ablative are often -ī...
7
votes
2answers
551 views
Choosing -ter or -iter for adverbs from third declension adjectives
The typical suffix to derive an adverb from a third declension adjective is -iter, but sometimes the -i- is dropped:
dulciter but audacter.
I am not asking for a rule for choosing -iter or -ter —...
12
votes
3answers
510 views
Why does singular “mons” become plural “montes”?
Some singular third declension nouns, ending in -s, have a t in their stem, so:
singular mons → plural montes
infans → infantes
miles → milites
I understand these to be examples of "lingual" ...
24
votes
1answer
909 views
Why do ablatives of the 3rd declension sometimes end on -e, at other times on -i?
Normally, substantive nouns of the 3rd declension get an -e in the ablative (patre), and adjectives of the 3rd get an -i (audaci). This is already odd: normally, substantives and adjectives, both ...
