parative and superlative deterior, worse,' i. e. 'more downward,' deterrimus, 'worst' (cf. optimus from ob). The poetic ocior, 'swifter,' ocissimus, have no positive except the unusual adverb ociter (41); and potior, 'preferable,' potissimus, are used in a somewhat different sense from their positive potis, 'able.' Exterior, ‘outer,' extrēmus, 'last' or 'utmost,' have in the plural of the positive exteri, 'foreigners,' and exterae nationes, extera regna, and also the prep. extra, 'out.' Similarly, superior, ' higher,' suprēmus, 'extreme,' 'last in time,' or summus, 'highest; and inferior, 'lower,' infimus or imus, 'lowest,' have for the positive the prepositions supra and infra, or the adjectives found in the phrases superum mare, 'the Adriatic or upper sea,' and inferum mare, 'the Etruscan or lower sea;' superi, 'the gods above,' supera, 'the upper parts of the world;' inferi, 'the dead as inhabitants of the lower world,' infera flumina, the rivers of the infernal regions,' inferae partes, 'the subterraneous regions.' In the same way, posterior, 'later' or 'hinder,' postremus, 'last,' are referred immediately to the preposition post,' after:' but we have posterum diem, posterá nocte, postera aetas, where the following' or 'subsequent' in order of time is referred to: posteri are descendants,' and postumus, 'last-born,' means 'a child born after its father's death.' The following also have only adverbial or prepositional positives: 6 ante, 'before,' prior, 'former,' primus, 'first.' intra, 'within,' interior, 'inner,' intimus, ' most inward.' prope, 'near,' propior, 'nearer,' proximus, ' nearest' (propinquus). ultra, 'beyond,' ulterior, further,' ultimus, 'last.' § 7. Anomalous Nouns. 46 Anomalous nouns may be divided into four classes: (1.) those which are used in the plural or singular only; (II.) those which vary, or have more than one form, in the plural or singular, or both; (III.) those which employ the plural in a special or separate sense; (IV.) those which appear in one case or in some only of their cases. Obs. In the older grammars anomalous nouns are divided into two main classes: the (A) defectiva, and the (B) abundantia. (A) The defectiva are (a) undeclined, when they do not admit of case-endings, although they occur in all cases; such are the names of Greek letters, alpha, beta, &c.; foreign proper names, as Adam, Elizabeth; some few words, as cepe, 'an onion,' gausape, 'a napkin,' and the cardinal num bers from quattuor to centum; (b) they are defectiva numero in the following classes I. and III.; and they are defectiva casibus in class IV., when the old grammarians call them monoptota, diptota, triptota, tetraptota, pentaptota, according as they occur in one only, or in two, three, four, or five cases. (B) The abundantia have either two forms in the same declension, as baculus and baculum, 'a stick;' or two forms in different declensions, as elephantus, elephanti, and elephas, elephantis, 'an elephant.' If the difference of form appears in the plural only, the nouns which exhibit this variety are called heteroclita; as vas, vasis, 'a vessel;' plur. vasa, vasorum: if the gender varies in the plural, they are termed heterogenea, as carbasus, carbasi, fem. 'flax,' carbasa, carbasorum, 'a sail.' In some cases the heteroclita are also heterogenea, as epulum, 'a public entertainment,' epulae, 'a feast.' I. (1) The following have no singular: 47 (a) First Declension. angustiae, straits. inferiae, funereal offerings. calendae or kalendae, the first of minutiae, details. 1 balneum, pl. balnea, is a private bath.' 2 delicium occurs very rarely in the same sense, e. g. Phædr. IV. 1. 8. Mart. VII. 50. 3 epulum is a public entertainment.' thermae, a warm-bath. valvae, folding-doors. tricae', trifles, minor annoyances. vindiciae, a defence. 48 bellaria, dainties. cancelli, a lattice. cani, white hairs. castra, a camp. (b) Second Declension. clathri, a trellis or grate. crepundia, toys. codicilli3, writing tablets. cunabula, incunabula, exta, entrails. fasti, annals. a cradle. fori, benches or seats (in a ship tesqua, wild-places. caelites, the gods above. of a city. minores, posterity. cervices, the hinder part of the obices, a bolt (Ab. s.) lactes, the chitterlings. preces, supplications (Ab. s.) procères, nobles. sentes, a thorn-bush. idus, the thirteenth or fifteenth viscera, the intestines. 1 Apina and Trica were two small towns in Apulia: hence apinae (once) and tricae are used to signify the contemptible but annoying vulgarity of a country place. 2 castrum is used in the names of places, as Castrum Novum. 3 codicillus, which occurs only once, and in Cato, denotes the trunk of a little tree. 4 cervix occurs in poetry in this sense; in prose, it means the neck of a vessel, &c. The following proper names also have no singular: cities, as Arbela, Athenae, Gades, Hierosolyma, Leuctra, Syracusae, Thebae, Argi, Gabii, Veii, Philippi, Treviri; feasts, as Bacchanalia, Floralia, Olympia, Palilia, Quinquatrus, Saturnalia, Suovetaurilia, &c. 50 I. (2) The following have no plural: (a) Words denoting substances; as aurum, 'gold;' lignum, 'wood;' aes, 'bronze;' oleum, 'oil;' sanguis, 'blood:' plurals are sometimes used to denote pieces of the material, as aera, 'bronze statues;' cerae, 'wax tablets;' ligna, billets of wood.' (b) Abstract nouns; as senectus, 'old age;' pietas, 'affection' or 'duty;' quies, 'rest;' fames, 'hunger;' indoles, 'disposition.' (c) Words denoting objects, which are necessarily collective or undistributable; as vulgus, 'a crowd;' tellus, 'the earth;' supellex, 'furniture;' aevum, 'time;' ver, 'the spring;' vesper, 'the evening,' &c. (d) Names of towns and countries; as Roma, Italia. 51 II. (1) The following vary or have more than one form in the plural: jocus, a jest, pl. joci, joca. locus, a place, pl. loca, places, but loci, passages in books, objects, and topics of argument. frenum, a bit or bridle, pl. freni and frena. caelum, heaven, pl. caeli. ostrea, an oyster, pl. ostrea, ostreae. porrum, a leek or chive, pl. porri. rastrum, a mattock, pl. rastri and rastra. siser, n. skirret, plur. siseres, m. sertertius, 24 ases or pounds, pl. sestertii and sestertia. sibilus, a hissing, pl. sibili, poet. sibila. vas, vasis, a vessel, also vasum, vasi, pl. vasa, vasorum, vasis, and rarely vasibus. Several proper names have a sing. in -us, and a plur. in -a, as Dindymus, Ismarus, Gargărus, Maenalus, Pangaeus, Pergamus, Taenarus, Tartarus, Taigetus. (2) The following vary or have more than one form in both numbers: alimonia, alimonium, nourishment. buccina, buccinum, a trumpet. cingula, cingulum (-us), a girdle. essěda, essědum, a war-chariot. mulctra, mulctrum, a milk-pail. hebdomas, -ădis, hebdomada, -ae, a week. capus, -i, and capo, -ōnis, a capon. pavus, -i, and pavo, -onis, a peacock. palumbus, -i, and palumbes, -is, a wood-pigeon. scorpius, -i, and scorpio, -ōnis, a scorpion. architectus, -i, and architecton, -ŏnis, an architect. consortium, -i, and consortio, -onis, fellowship. occipitium, -i, and occiput, occipitis, back of the head. praesepium, -i, and praesepe, -is, a stall. tapētum, -i, and tapes, -ētis, a carpet. angiportum, -i, and angiportus, -us, a lane. suggestum, -i, and suggestus, -us, a platform. gibbus, -i, and gibbus, -ĕris, a hump. penus, -õris, n. and penus, peni, m. provision. |