Page:The New Latin Primer (Postgate).djvu/134

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The New Latin Primer.

DECLENSION OF NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES.

First Declension.

§266. Gen. Sing.—An old form in -āī is sometimes found in poetry; as ăqu-ă water, G. ăqu-āī.

Gen. Plur.—A form in -um' instead of -ārum is sometimes used in poetry from words of Greek origin, especially Patronymics, as Aeneādae descendants of Aeneas, G. Aenĕăd-um, and words ending in -gĕna, -cŏla, as caelĭcŏla, dweller in heaven, G. Plur., caelicol-um; drăchmum, amphŏrum, occur in prose.

D. Abl. Plur.—The only words in which classical authors use the inflexion -ābus are dĕă goddess, -fīlĭa daughter, lībertă freed-woman.

§ 267. Greek Nouns.—Proper names ending in (Fem.) and -ās (Masc), and many in ēs (Masc), especially Patronymics in -dĕs, belong to this declension. They often retain the Greek inflexions, thus:

N. Circ-ē Aenē-ās Alcīd-ēs
V. Circ-ē Aenē-ā Alcīd-ē[1]
A. Circ-ē Aene-ān or -am Alcid-ēn
G. Circ-ēs or -ae Aenē-ae' Alcid-ae
D. Circ-ae Aenē-ae Alcid-ae
Abl. Circ-ē(rarely -ā) Aenē-ā Alcid-ē (rarely )

So a few common nouns, as sŏphistēs sophist. Many Greek names in have two forms, one Greek and one Latin: as Ătălantē, G. -ēs, or Ătălantă, G. -ae.

Second Declension.

§ 268. Gen. Sing.—The following Nouns in -ĕr make Gen. in -ĕrī: pŭer boy, sŏcer father-in-law, gĕner son-in-law, vesper evening, ădulter adulterer, Lĭber god of wine.

Gen. Plur.—A form in -um, instead of -ōrum, is used frequently in words denoting money, weights, or measures, as numm-um, mŏdi-um; in Numerals as bīn-um, dŭcent-um; in names of nations (in poetry) as Teucr-um, and sometimes in other words: dĕ-um, dīv-um, sŏcĭ-um, făbr-um, vĭr-um.

It is very rare in Neuters, as stădi-um, tălent-um.

  1. But other names in -ēs have oc. in -ā or -ă.