Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

both numbers; and these cases in the plural end always in a.

2. The Dative and Ablative plural end always alike.

7

3. The Vocative for the most part in the singular, and always in the plural, is the same with the Nominative.

.

Greek nouns in s generally lose s in the Vocative; as, Thomas, Thoma; Anchises, Anchise; Pāris, Pari; Panthus, Panthu; Pallas, -antis; Palla, names of men. But nouns in es of the third declension oftener retain the s; as, ô Achilles, rarely-e; O Socrates, seldom -e: and sometimes nouns in is and as; as, O Thais, Mysis, Pallas, -ădis, the goddess Minerva, &c.

4. Proper names for the most part want the plural:

Unless several of the same name be spoken of; as,duõděcím Casares, the twelve Cæsars.

The cases of Latin nouns are thus expressed in English ; 1. With the indefinite article, a king.

[blocks in formation]

kings,

Abl, with, from, in, by, a king: Abl. with, from, in, by, kings.

2. With the definite article, the king.

[blocks in formation]

Abl.with, from, in,by,the king: Abl. with.from, in, by,the kings.

GENDER.

Nouns in Latin are said to be of different genders, not merely from the distinction of sex, but chiefly from their being joined with an adjective of one termination, and not of another. Thus, penna, a pen, is said to be feminine, because it is always joined with an adjective in that termination which is applied to females; as, bõna penna, a good pen, and not bonus penna.

The gender of nouns which signify things without life, depends on their termination, and different declension.

To distinguish the different genders, grammarians make use of the pronoun hic, to mark the masculine; hæc, the feminine; and hoc, the neuter.

GENERAL RULES concerning Gender.

1. Names of males are masculine; as, Hōmērus, Homer; puter, a father; poēta, a poet. 2. Names of females are feminine; as, Hělěna, Helen; mulier, a woman; uxor, a wife; māter, & mother; soror, a sister; Tellus, the goddess of the earth.

3. Nouns which signify either the male or female, are of the common gender; that is, either masculine or feminine; as,

Hic bos, an ox; hæc bos, a cow; hic părens, a father; hæc purens, a mother.

The following list comprehends most nouns of the common gender.

Adolescens. a young man,
Juvenis,

or woman.

Affinis, a relation by mar.
riage.
Antistes, a prelate.
Auctor, an author.
Augur, a soothsayer.

Cănis, a dog or bitch.
Cīvis, a citizen.
Cliens, a client.

Comes, a companion.

Conjux, a husband or wife.

[blocks in formation]

Martyr, a martyr.
Miles, a soldier.
Müniceps, a burgess.
Nemo, no body.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

Sus, a swine.

Testis, a witness.
Vätes a prophet.
Vindex, an avenger."

But antistes, cliens, and hospes, also change their termination to express the feminine; thus, antistita, clienta, hospita: in the same manner with leo, a lion; leana, a lioness; equus, ¿qua; mūlus, mulo; and many others.

There are several nouns, which, though applicable to both sexes, admit only of a masculine adjective; as, advěna, a stranger; agricola, a husbandman; assecla, an attendant; accola, a neighbour; exul, an exile; latro, a robber; fur, a thief; opifex, a mechanic; &c. There are others, which, though applied to persons, are, on account of their termination, always neater; as, scortum, a courtezan; mancipium, servitium, a slave, &c.

In like manner, operæ, slaves or day-labourers; vigiliæ,

* Conjur, atque parens, infans, patruelis, et hæres.
Affinis vindex, judex, dux, miles, et hostis,
Augur, et antistes, juvenis, conviva, sacerdos,
Munique eps, vates adolescens, civis, et auctor,
Custos, nemo, comes, testis, sus, bosque, canisque,

Interpresque, cliens, princeps, præs, martyr, et obses

[ocr errors]

excubia, watches; noxe, guilty persons; though applied to men, are always feminine.

OBSERVATIONS.

OBS. 1. The names of brute animals commonly follow the gender of their termination.

Such are the names of wild beasts, birds, fishes, and insects, in which the distinction of sex is either not easily discerned, or seldom attended to. Thus, passer, a sparrow, is masculine, because nouns in er are masculine; so ăquila, an eagle, is feminine, because nouns in a, of the first declension are feminine. These are called Epicene, or promiscuous nouns. When any particular sex is marked, we usually add the word mas or femina; as, mas passer, a male sparrow; femina passer, a female sparrow.

OBS. 2. A proper name, for the most part, follows the gender of the general name under which it is comprehended.

Thus, the names of months, winds, rivers and mountains, are masculine; because mensis, ventus, mons, and fluvius, are masculine; as, hic Aprilis, April; hic Aquilo, the north wind; hic Africus, the south-west wind; hic Tiberis, the river Tiber; hic Othrys, a hill in Thessaly. But many of these follow the gender of their termination; as, hæc Matrona, the river Marne in France; hæc Etna, a mountain in Sicily; hoc Sōracte, a hill in Italy.

In like manner, the names of countries, towns, trees, and ships, are feminine, because terra or regio, urbs, arbor, and nāvis, are feminine; as, hæc Egyptus, Egypt; Sămos, an island of that name; Corinthus, the city Corinth; põmus, an apple-tree; Centaurus, the name of a ship: Thus also the names of poems, hæc Ilias, -ados, and Odyssea, the two poems of Homer; hæc Æneis, -idos, a poem of Virgil's ; hæc Eunuchus, one of Terence's comedies.

The gender, however, of many of these depends on the termination; thus, hic Pontus, a country of that name; hic Sulmo, -õnis; Pessīnus, -untis; Hydrus, -untis, names of towns; hæc Persis, -idis, the kingdom of Persia ; Carthago, -inis, the city Carthage: hoc Albion, Britain: hoc Care, Reate, Preneste, Tibur, Ilium, names of towns. But some of these are also found in the feminine; as, Gelido Præneste, Juvenal, iii. 190; Alta Ilion, Ovid. Met. xiv. 466.

The following names of trees are masculine, õleaster, -tri, a wild olive-tree; rhamnus, the white bramble.

The following are masculine or feminine; cytisus, a kind of shrub; rubus, the bramble-bush; larix, the larch-tree;

lotus, the lot-tree; cupressus, the cypress-tree. The first two however are oftener masculine; the rest oftener feminine.

Those in um are neuter; as, buxum, the bush, or box-tree; ligustrum, a privet; so likewise are süber, -ĕris, the cork``tree; siler, -ĕris, the osier; rõbur, -õris, oak of the hardest kind; ăcer, -ĕris, the maple-tree.

The place where trees or shrubs grow is commonly neuter; as, Arbustum, quercētum, eseŭlētum, sălictum, fruticētum, &c. a place where trees, oaks, beeches, willows, shrubs, &c. grow also the names of fruits and timber; as, põmum, or malum, an apple: pìrum, a pear; ěběnum, ebony, &c. But from this rule there are various exceptions.

OBS. 3. Several nouns are said to be of the doubtful gender; that is, are sometimes found in one gender, and sometimes in another; as, dies, a day, masculine or feminine; vulgus, the rabble, masculine or neuter.

FIRST DECLENSION.

Nouns of the first declension end in a, e, as, es. Latin nouns end only in a, and are of the feminine gender.

The terminations of the different cases are ; Nom. and Voc. Sing. a; Gen. and Dat. æ, diphthong; Acc. am; Abl. â; Nom. and Voc. Plur. æ; Gen. ārum: Dat. and Abl. is; Acc. as thus,

Penna, a pen, fem.

[blocks in formation]

Termina-
tions.
α, œ.

œ, arum, œ, is,

[blocks in formation]

a pen;

N. pennæ,

៤.

pennæ,

of a pen;

G. pennārum,

to a pen;

D. pennis,

a pen;

A. pennas,

O pen;

V. pennæ,

O pens;

A. pennis,

with pens.

[blocks in formation]

pens;

am, as, a, æ,

[blocks in formation]

A. pennâ, with a pen :

Acerra, a censer.
Acta. the shore.

Era, a period of ime.
Erumna, toil.

Agricola, a husbandman.
Ala, a wing.

Alǎpa, a blow.

Alauda, a lark.

In like manner decline,
Amurea, the lees of oil.

Alga, sea-weed.
Aluta tanned leather.
Ambrosia the food of the
gods.

Amita, an aunt, the father's
sister.

Amphora, a cask.

Ancilla, an handmaid.

Anchora, an anchor,

Anguilla, an eel.
Ansa, a handle.

Antenna, a sail-yard.
Antlia, a pump.
Aqua water.
Aquila, an engle.
Ara, an altar.
Arănea, a spider.
Arca, a chest.

Arlea, & eõla, a heron.
Area, an open place.
Arēna, sand.

Ampulla, a jug, plur. bom- Argilla, potter's earth.

bast.

Arista, an car of corn.

Arrha, an earnest penny.
Arvina, fat.

Ascia an axe.

Athleta, m. a wrestler.
Aula, a hall.

Aura, a breeze.

Auriga. ma charioteer.
Avia a grandmother.
Axilla, the arm pit.
Balena a rehale.
Barba, a beard.
Bellua, any large beast.
Bestia, a beast.
Bēta. beet, an herb.
Bibliopola, a bookseller.
Bibliotheca, a library.
Blatta, a moth,

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]
« ZurückWeiter »