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9 Greek nouns of the first declension differ from the Latin only in the singular number, as in the following examples:

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Obs. Some Greek nouns in as or es are occasionally written in -ă; thus we have Midă, cometă, Scytha, Eeta, pycta, by the side of Midas, cometes, Scythes, Eetes, pyctes, the latter, however, being the more usual forms.

For variations between the first and third declension in the forms of some of the cases of these Greek nouns, see below, 30 (b).

10 Some feminine nouns retain the original D. and Ab. pl. in -ābus; as deābus, filiābus, ambābus; and in the poets, the older form of the G. sing. in a is still found, as in aulāī, pictāī: the original s of the G. sing. is retained only in familias following pater, mater, filius, as in paterfamilias, 'the father of a family.' The genitive plural is sometimes shortened into -um, as in caelicolum, amphorum.

§ 3. Second or o- Declension.

11 The characteristic o is changed into u in the N. A. sing., but retained in the D. Ab. sing. and G. pl. The termination -ros or -eros is shortened into -er, as we see in ager, compared with ȧypós, Alexander compared with 'Axéfavôpos. Thus we have masculine nouns in -us or -er (-ir, -ur), and neuter nouns in -um; as dominus, 'a lord;' populus, ' a people;' magister, ' a master;' puer, 'a boy;' liber, a book;' ager, 'a field;' vir, 'a man;' regnum, 'a kingdom;' bellum, 'a war.'

'a

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Obs. 1 Liber, 'a book,' is declined like magister; but Liber, chus,' and liberi, 'children,' like puer.

The only word which ends in -ir is vir, 'a man;' and this, as well as its compounds triumvir, &c. and the national name Trevir, will follow the declension of puer, thus: vir, viri, viro, virum, viri, virorum, viris, viros. The only word which ends in ur is the adjective satur, which also follows the declension of puer, as is the case with most adjectives in er, as asper, tener, miser; with those in fer and ger, as signifer, armiger; and with the substantives socer, gener, adulter, vesper. We have both dexteri and dextri from dexter; both Mulciberi and Mulcibri from Mulciber.

Obs. 2 Although most Greek names in -pos preceded by a consonant follow the declension of Alexander and magister, the Greek form is occasionally retained, especially by the poets. Thus we have Meleagros in Ovid, Evandrus, and Codrus. And while we write hexameter, we also write diametrus.

D. L. G.

2

12 Deus, "God," makes O Deus in the vocative singular. The plural is thus declined:

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13 The genitive plural in -um for -orum, as in Deum for Deorum, is particularly common in nouns denoting trades, as fabrum, ‘of carpenters,' from faber; coins, as sestertium numum, ' of sesterces;' and in poetry in adjectives and national names, as magnanimum Rutulum, 'of the courageous Rutuli.'

14 In Classical Latinity, substantives in -ius and -ium made the G. sing. in -î, as Vergilius, G. Vergili; ingenium, 'disposition,' or 'natural abilities,' G. ingění. But this rule does not apply to adjectives, for we have in the same line of Horace:

egregii altique silentî.

15 Roman proper names in -ius, together with filius, ' a son,' and genius, a tutelary spirit,' make the vocative in i; as Vergilius V. Vergili; Mercurius V. Mercuri; filius V. fili. So also we have mi for mee from meus. This rule does not apply to Greek names or adjectives, as Cynthius V. Cynthie, or to nouns in -ius Gr. -elos, as Sperchius V. Sperchie. The vocative Gai exposes the common error of pronouncing Gā-ĭus as a word of two syllables. The poets use Pompei as a dissyllable.

16 Greek nouns in -os, -on retain the ŏ in the N. and A.

as:

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17 Those, which, in the original, end in -ws, sometimes retain

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18 Greek nouns in -eus (-es) sometimes follow the second declension in Latin; as:

N. Orpheus (dissyllable)

G. Orpheos, -eï, -ei

D. Orpheĩ, -ei, -eo

A. Orpheă, -eum
V. Orpheu

Ah. Orpheo

We have also Achillei and Ulixi in the G., though in other cases Achilles and Ulixes follow the third declension.

19 Contracted Greek nouns are contracted also in Latin; as:

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20 Nepter nouns corresponding to Greek words in -os follow this declension; as pelagus, 'the surface of the sea;' virus, 'poison.' Vulgus, the multitude,' is generally neuter; but sometimes also masculine.

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21 The following nouns in -us, -ŏs are feminine:

(1) Names of countries; as Egyptus, Cyprus, Samos, &c. (2) Alvus, 'belly;' colus, 'distaff,' or 'spinning-rock;' humus, 'ground;' vannus, 'winnowing fan.'

(3) Certain Greek words, as periodus, 'period;' dialectus, 'dialect;' abyssus, 'a bottomless pit,' &c.

(4) All names of trees, and some of shrubs; as pôpulus, ‘the poplar' (distinguished by quantity also from populus, 'the people ;') fagus, 'the beech;' pirus, 'the pear-tree;' mālus and põmus, 'the apple-tree' (but pirum, 'the pear;' mālum and pōmum, 'the apple;') buxus, 'the box-tree' (but buxum, 'box-wood;') &c.

§ 4. Third Declension, or consonantal and semi-consonantal

nouns.

22 Nouns of the third declension are arranged according to the nature of the characteristic consonant which precedes the case

ending; and they fall into two great classes, according as they retain the consonant or vocalize it into i or u. The characteristic of the crude form is often lost in the nominative singular, but is always seen in the genitive plural, as the following table will show:

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1 The form aetatium is found in some MSS., but it is not the usual spelling.

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