5. Neuter in the fing, in the plur. masc. or neuter : Rafirum, a rake, pl. raftri and raflra; frænum, a bridle, pl. frani and fræna. 6. Neuter in the fingular, and feminine in the plural Delicium, a delight, pl. delicia; Epulum, a banquet, pl. epula; Balneum, a bath, pl. balnea and balnea. II. Nouns which vary in declenfion are called heteroclites; as, vas, vāfis, a veffel, pl. vafa, vaforum; jugĕrum, jugeri, an acre, pl jugěra, jugěrum, jugeribus, which has likewife fometimes jugeris and jugere in the fingular, from the obfolete jugus or juger. II. DEFECTIVE NOUNS. Nouns are defective, either in cafes or in number. 1. Some are altogether indeclinable; as, pondo, a pound or pounds; fas, right; nefas, wrong; finapi, mustard; mane, the morning; as, clarum mane, Perf. A mane ad vefperam, Plaut. Multo mane, &c.; cepe, an onion; gausăpe, a rough coat, &c.; all of them neuter. We may rank among indeclinable nouns, any word put for a noun; as, velle fuum, for fua voluntas, his own inclination. Perf. Iftud cras, for ifte craftinus dies, that to-morrow. Mart. O magnum Græcorum, the Omega, or the large O of the Greeks; Infidus eft compofitum ex in et fidus; infidus is compounded of in and fidus. To these add foreign or barbarous names; that is, names which are neither Greek nor Latin; as, Job, Elifabet, Ferufalem, &c. 2. Some are used only in one cafe, and therefore called monoptōta; as, inquies, want of reft, in the nominative fingular; dicis and nauci, in the genit. fing.; thus, dicis gratia, for form's fake; res nauci, a thing of no value; inficias and incita or incitas, in the accufative plural: thus, ire inficias, to deny ; ad incitas redactus, reduced to a strait, or non-plus; ingratiis, in the abl. plur. in fpite of one; and these ablatives fingular, nou, in the night time; diu, interdiu, in the day-time; promptu, in readiness; natu, by birth; injufu, without command or leave; ergo, for the fake, as, ergo illius, Virg. Ambage, f. with a winding or a tedious ftory; Compede, m. with a fetter; Caffe, m. with a net; vepres, m. a briar: Plur. Ambages, -ibus ; compedes, -ibus; caffes, -ium; vepres, -ium, &c. 3. Some are used in two cafes only, and therefore called diptota; as, neceffe or -um, neceffity; volupe or volup, pleasure; inftar, likeness, bigness; aftu, a town; hir, the palm of the hand; in the nom. and acc. fing.; vesper, m. abl. vefpere or vefperi, the evening; firemps, the fame, all alike, abl. firempfe; fpontis, f. in the genitive, and Sponte in the ablative, of its own accord; fo impětis, m. and impěte, force; verbĕris, n. genit. and verbère, abl. a stripe ; in the plural entire; verbera, verberum, verberibus, &c. repetundarum, abl. repetundis, sc. pecuniis, money unjustly taken in the time of one's office, extortion; fuppetia, nom. pl. fuppetias in the acc. help; inferia, inferias, facrifices to the dead. 4. Several nouns are only used in three cases, and therefore called triptōta; as, preci, precem, prece, f. a pray. er, from prex, which is not used; in the plural it is entire, preces, precum, precibus, &c. Feminis, gen. from the obfolete femen, the thigh; in the dat. and abl. fing.; in the nom. acc. and voc. plur. femina. Dica, a process, acc. fing. dicam, plur. dicas; tantundem, nom. and acc. tantidem, genit. even as much. Several nouns in the plural want the genitive, dative, and ablative; as, hiems, rus, thus, metus, mel, far, and moft nouns of the fifth declenfion. To this clafs of defective nouns may be added these neuters, melos, a fong; mele, fongs; epos, a heroic poem ; cacoēthes, an evil cuftom; cete, whales; Tempe, plural, a beautiful vale in Theffaly, &c. ufed only in the nom. acc. and voc.; alfo grates, f. thanks. 5. The following nouns want the nominative, and of confequence the vocative, and therefore are called tetraptōta: vicis, f. of the place or ftead of another; pecudis, f. of a beaft; fordis, f. of filth; ditiōnis, f. of dominion, power; opis, f, of help. Of thefe, pecudis and fordis have the plural entire : ditionis wants it altogether: vicis is not ufed in the genitive plural; opes in the plural, generally fignifies wealth, or power, feldom help. To these add nex, flaughter; daps, a dish of meat; and frux, corn; hardly used in the nominative fingular, but in the plural moftly entire. 6. Some nouns only want one cafe, and are called pentaptōta: thus, os, the mouth; lux, light; fax, a torch, together with fome others, want the genit. plur. Chaos, n. a confused mass, wants the genit. fing. and the plural entirely; dat. fing. chao. So, fatias, i. e. fatietas, a glut or fill of any thing. Situs, a fituation, naftinefs, of the fourth decl. wants the genit. and perhaps the dative fing. also the gen. dat. and abl. plur. Of nouns defective in number there are various forts. 1. Several nouns want the plur. from the nature of the things which they exprefs. Such are the names of virtues and vices, of arts, herbs, metals, liquors, different kinds of corn, most abstract nouns, &c. as, juftitia, justice; ambitus, ambition; aftus, cunning; musica, mufic; apium, parfley; argentum, filver; aurum, gold; lac, milk; triticum, wheat; hordeum, barley; avena, oats; juventus, youth, &c. But of thefe we find several fometimes used in the plural. 2. The following mafculines are hardly ever found in the plural. Humus, -i, the ground. Lues, -is, a plague. Plebs, plebis, the common people. Pubes, -is, the youth. Salus, -utis, fafety. Sitis, -is, thirft. 4. Thefe neuters are seldom used in the plural: Album, i, a lift of names. Lutum, -i, clay. Diluculum, -i, the dawning of day. Nihil, nihilum, or nil, nothing. Ebur, -ŏris, ivory. Gelu, ind. froft. Hilum, i, the black speck of a bean, a trifle. Juftitium, -i, a vacation, the time when courts do not fit. Lethum, death. 5. Many nouns want the fingular. Such are the names of feasts, books, games, and several cities; as, Apollinares, -ium, games in honour Bacchanalia, -ium, the feafts of Bucolica, -orum, a book of paftorals. Olympia, -orum, the Olympic games. Syracufæ, -arum, Syracufe. Hierofolyma, -orum, Jerufalem; or Hierofolyma, æ, of the first declenfion. 6. The following mafculines are hardly used in the fingular : Cancelli, lattices. Cani, gray hairs. Celeres, -um, the light-borfe. Dryades, -um, the nymphs of the Druides, -um, the Druids, priefts of the ancient Britons and Gauls. Decimæ, tithes. Fafti, -orum, or faftus, -uum, cal lendars, in which were marked Fori, the batches of a fhip, feats in Inferi, the gods below. Liberi, children. Argutiæ, quirks, witticifms. Biga, a chariot drazon -by trwo borfes. Triga,- -by three. Quadriga,--by four. Braccæ, breeches. Branchiæ, the gills of a fifb. Charites, -um, the three graces. Cunæ, a cradle. Diræ, imprecations, the furies. Divitiæ, riches. Excubiæ, watches. Exfequiæ, funerals. Exuviæ, Spoils. Facetiæ, pleasant fay Nundinæ, a market. Operæ, workmen. mount Octa. Tricæ, toys. Valvæ, folding doors. Vindiciæ, a claim of lib erty, a defence. 8. The following neuter nouns want the fingular: A&ta, public acts or records. Bellaria, -orum, sweet meats. Brevia, -ium, fbelves. Chariftia, -orum, a peace-feaft. Comitia, an affembly of the people. Februa, -orum, purifying facrifices. Hyberna, fc. castra, winter-quar ters. Ilia, -ium, the entrails. Incunabula, a cradle. Infecta, infects. Mania, -ium, the walls of a city. Orgia, the facred rites of Bacchus. Ovilia, -ium, an inclosure, where the people went to give their votes. Palearia, -ium, the dew lap of a beaft. Parapherna, all things the wife brings her bufband except ber dowry. Parentalia, -ium, folemnities at the Principia, the place in the camp where beaks of foips, from which orators used to make orations to the people. Scruta, old clothes. Sponfalia, -ium, espousals. Statīva, a ftanding camp. |