THIRD DECLENSION (CONSONANT AND i-STEMS)

Nouns of the Third Declension end in a, e, ī, ō, y, c, l, n, r, s, t, x.

Stems of the Third Declension are classed as follows:—

I. Consonant Stems a. Mute stems. b. Liquid and Nasal stems.

II. I-Stems a. Pure i-stems. b. Mixed i-stems.

The Nominative is always derived from the stem.

The variety in form in the Nominative is due to simple modi fications of the stem, of which the most important are—

1. Combination of final consonants: as of c (or g) and s to form x; dux, ducis, stem duc-; rēx, rēgis, stem rēg-.
2. Omission of a final consonant: as of a final nasal; leō, leōnis, stem leōn-; ōrātiō, ōrātiōnis, stem ōrātiōn-.
3. Omission of a final vowel: as of final i; calcar, calcāris, stem calcāri-.
4. Change of vowel in the final syllable : as of a toe; prīnceps (for -caps), prīncipis, stem prīncip- (for -cap-).

Masculine and Feminine Nouns with mute stems form the Nominative by adding s to the stem.

A labial (p) is retained before s: as, prīncep-s.

A lingual (t, d) is dropped before s: as, mīles (stem mīlit-), cūstōs (stem cūstōd-).

A palatal (c, g) unites with s to form x: as, dux (for †duc-s), rēx (for †rēg-s).

In dissyllabic stems the final syllable often shows e in the nominative and i in the stem: as, prīnceps, stem prīncip- (for -cap-).

Nouns of this class are declined as follows:

In like manner are declined—

1. ariēs, -etis (M.), ram; comes, -itis (c.), companion; lapis, -idis (M.), stone; iūdex, -icis (M.), judge; cornīx, -īcis (F.), raven, and many other nouns.

Most mute stems are Masculine or Feminine. Those that are neuter have for the Nominative the simple stem. But,—

Lingual Stems (t, d) ending in two consonants drop the final mute: as, cor (stem cord-), lac (stem lact-). So also stems in ăt- from the Greek: as, poēma (stem poēmat-).

The stem capit- shows u in the nominative (caput for †capot).

Nouns of this class are declined as follows:—

The following irregularities require notice:—

Greek neuters with nominative singular in -a (as poēma) frequently end in -īs in the dative and ablative plural, and rarely in -ōrum in the genitive plural; as, poēmatīs (for poēmatibus), poēmatōrum (for poēmatum).

A number of monosyllabic nouns with mute stems want the genitive plural (like cor). See § 103. g. 2.

In Masculine and Feminine nouns with liquid and nasal stems the Nominative is the same as the stem.

Exceptions are the following:—

1. Stems in ōn- drop n in the nominative: as in legiō, stem legiōn-.
2. Stems in din- and gin- drop n and keep an original ō in the nominative: as in virgō, stem virgin-.
3. Stems in in- (not din- or gin-) retain n and have e instead ofi in the nominative: as in cornicen, stem cornicin-.
4. Stems in tr- have -ter in the nominative: as, pater, stem patr-.

Nouns of this class are declined as follows:—

In Neuter nouns with liquid or nasal stems the Nominative is the same as the stem.

Exceptions:

1. Stems in in- havee instead of i in the nominative: as in nōmen, stem nōmin-.
2. Most stems in er- and or- have -us in the nominative: as,genus, stem gener-.

Nouns of this class include—

1. Pure i-Stems:

   Masculine and Feminine parisyllabic

   nouns in -is and four in -er.

   Neuters in -e, -al, and -ar.

2. Mixed i-Stems, declined in the singular like consonant stems, the plural like i-stems.

Masculine and Feminine parisyllabic nouns in -is form the Nominative singular by adding s to the stem.

Four stems in bri- and tri- do not add s to form the nominative, but drop i and insert e before r. These are imber, linter, ūter, venter.

Nouns of this class are declined as follows:—

In Neuters the Nominative is the same as the stem, with final i changed to e: as, mare, stem mari-. But most nouns

in which the i of the stem is preceded by āl or ār lose the final vowel and shorten the preceding ā: as, animăl, stem animāli-.

Neuters in -e, -al, and -ar have -ī in the ablative singular, -ium in the genitive plural, and -ia in the nominative and accusative plural: as, animal, animālī, -ia, -ium.

Nouns of this class are declined as follows:—

Mixed i-stems are either original i-stems that have lost their i-forms in the singular, or consonant stems that have assumed i- forms in the plural.

Mixed i-stems have -em in the accusative and -e in the ablative singular, -ium in the genitive

and -īs or -ēs in the accusative plural. They include the following:—

1. Nouns in -ēs, gen. -is.
2. Monosyllables in -s or -x preceded by a consonant: as, ars, pōns, arx.
3. Polysyllables in -ns or -rs: as, cliēns, cohors.
4. Nouns in -tās, genitive -tātis (genitive plural usually -um): as, cīvitās.
5. Penātēs, optimātēs, and nouns denoting birth or abode (patrials) in -ās, -īs, plural -ātēs, -ītēs: as, Arpīnās, plural Arpīnātēs;Quirīs, plural Quirītēs.
6. The following monosyllables in -s or -x preceded by a vowel: dōs, fraus, glīs, līs, mās,mūs, nix, nox, strix, vīs.

Nouns of this class are thus declined:—

The i-declension was confused even to the Romans themselves, nor was it stable at all periods of the language, early Latin having i-forms which afterwards disappeared. There was a tendency in nouns to lose the i-forms, in adjectives to gain them. The nominative plural (-īs)

was most thoroughly lost, next the accusative singular (-im), next the ablative (-ī); while the genitive and accusative plural (-ium, -īs) were retained in almost all.

I-stems show the i of the stem in the following forms:—

They have the genitive plural in -ium (but some monosyllables lack it entirely). For a few exceptions, see § 78.

All neuters have the nominative and accusative plural in -ia.

The accusative plural (M. or F.) is regularly -īs.

The accusative singular (M. or F.) of a few ends in -im (§ 75).

The ablative singular of all neuters, and of many masculines and feminines, ends in -ī (see § 76).

The regular case-ending of the Accusative singular of i- stems (M. or F.) would be -im: as, sitis, sitim (cf. stella, -am; servus, -um); but in most nouns this is changed to -em (following the consonant declension).

The accusative in -im is found exclusively—

1. In Greek nouns and in names of rivers.
2. In būris, cucumis, rāvis, sitis, tussis, vīs.
3. In adverbs in -tim (being accusative of nouns in -tis), as, partim; and in amussim.

The accusative in -im is found sometimes in febris, puppis, restis, turris, secūris, sēmentis, and rarely in many other words.

The regular form of the Ablative singular of i-stems would be -ī: as, sitis, sitī; but in most nouns this is changed to -e.

The ablative in -ī is found exclusively—

1. In nouns having the accusative in -im (§ 75); also secūris.
2. In the following adjectives used as nouns: aequālis, annālis, aquālis, cōnsulāris, gentīlis, molāris, prīmipīlāris, tribūlis.
3. In neuters in -e, -al, -ar: except baccar, iubar, rēte, and sometimes mare.

   The ablative in -ī is found sometimes—

   • In avis, clāvis, febris, fīnis, īgnis, imber, lūx,nāvis, ovis, pelvis, puppis, sēmentis, strigilis, turris, and occasionally in other words.
   • In the following adjectives used as nouns: affīnis, bipennis, canālis, familiāris, nātālis, rīvālis, sapiēns, tridēns, trirēmis, vōcālis.

The regular Nominative plural of i-stems is -ēs,

but -īs is occasionally found. The regular Accusative plural -īs is common, but not exclusively used in any word. An old form for both cases is -eis (diphthong).

The following have -um (not -ium) in the genitive plural:

1. Always,canis, iuvenis, ambāgēs, mare (once only, otherwise wanting), volucris; regularly, sēdēs, vātēs.
2. Sometimes,apis, caedēs, clādēs, mēnsis, struēs, subolēs.
3. Very rarely,—patrials in -ās, -ātis; -īs, -ītis; as, Arpīnās, Arpīnātum, Samnīs,Samnītum.

In many nouns the stem is irregularly modified in the nominative or other cases. Some peculiar forms are thus declined:—

Two vowel-stems in ū-, grū- and sū-, which follow the third declension, add s in the nominative, and are inflected like mute stems: grūs has also a nominative gruis; sūs has both suibus and sū˘bus in the dative and ablative plural, grūs has only gruibus.

In the stem bov- (bou-) the diphthong ou becomes ō in the nominative (bōs, bŏvis).

In nāv- (nau-) an i is added (nāvis, -is), and it is declined like turris (§ 67).

In Iŏv- (= *zeu/s) the diphthong (ou) becomes ū in Iū-piter (for -păter), genitive Iŏvis, etc.; but the form Iuppiter is preferred.

In iter, itineris (N.), iecur, iecinoris (iecoris) (N.), supellēx, supellēctilis (F.), the nominative has been formed from a shorter stem; in senex, senis, from a longer; so that these words show a combination of forms from two distinct stems.

In nix, nivis the nominative retains a g from the original stem, the g uniting with s, the nominative ending, to form x. In the other cases the stem assumes the form niv- and it adds i in the genitive plural.

Vās (N.), vāsis, keeps s throughout; plural vāsa, vāsōrum. A dative plural vāsibus also occurs. There is a rare singular vāsum.

The Locative form for nouns of the third declension ends in the singular in -ī or -ē, in the plural in -ibus: as, rūrī, in the country; Carthāginī or Carthāgine, at Carthage; Trallibus, at Tralles.

Many nouns originally Greek—mostly proper names— retain Greek forms of inflection. So especially—

1. Genitive singular in -os, as, tigridos.
2. Accusative singular in -a, as, aethera.
3. Vocative singular like the stem, as, Periclē, Orpheu, Atlā.
4. Nominative plural in -ĕs, as, hērōĕs.
5. Accusative plural in -ăs, as, hērōăs.

Some of these forms are seen in the following examples:—

Other peculiarities are the following:—

Delphīnus, -ī (M.), has also the form delphīn, -īnis; Salamīs, -is (F.) has acc. Salamīna.

Most stems in ĭd- (nom. -is) often have also the forms of i-stems: as tigris, gen. -ĭdis (-ĭdos) or -is; acc. -ĭdem (-ĭda) or -im (-in); abl. -ĭde or -ī. But many, including most feminine proper names, have acc. -idem (-ida); abl. -ide,—not -im or -ī. (These stems are irregular also in Greek.)

Stems in on- sometimes retain -n in the nominative: as, Agamemnōn (or Agamemnō), genitive -ŏnis, accusative -ŏna.

Stems in ont- form the nominative in -ōn: as, horizōn, Xenophōn; but a few are occasionally Latinized into ōn- (nom. -ō): as, Dracō, -ōnis; Antiphō, -ōnis.

Like Simoīs are declined stems in ant-, ent-, and a few in ūnt- (nominative in -ās, -īs, -ūs): as, Atlās, -antis; Trapezūs, -ūntis.

Some words fluctuate between different declensions: as Orpheus between the second and the third.

-ōn is found in the genitive plural in a few Greek titles of books: as, Metamorphōseōn, of the Metamorphoses (Ovid's well-known poem); Geōrgicōn, of the Georgics (a poem of Virgil).

The Gender of nouns of this declension must be learned by practice and from the Lexicon. Many are masculine or feminine by nature or in accordance with the general rules for gender (p. 15). The most important rules for the others, with their principal exceptions, are the following:—

Masculine are nouns in -or, -ōs, -er, -ĕs (gen. -itis), -ex (gen. -ĭcis): as, color, flōs, imber, gurges (gurgitis), vertex (verticis).

Exceptions are the following:—

Feminine are arbor; cōs, dōs; linter.

Neuter are ador, aequor, cor, marmor; ōs (ōris); also os (ossis);

cadāver, iter, tūber, ūber, vēr; and names of plants and trees in -er: as, acer, papāver.

Feminine are nouns in -ō, -ās, -ēs, -is, -ūs, -x, and in -s preceded by a consonant: as, legiō, cīvitās, nūbēs, avis, virtūs, arx, urbs. The nouns in -ō are mostly those in -dō and -gō, and abstract and collective nouns in -iō.

Exceptions are the following:—

Masculine are leō, leōnis; ligō,-ōnis; sermō, -ōnis; also cardō, harpagō margō, ōrdō, turbō; and concrete nouns in -iō: as, pugiō, ūniō, papiliō;

acīnacēs, ariēs, celēs, lebēs, pariēs, pēs;

Nouns in -nis and -guis: as, īgnis, sanguis; also axis, caulis, collis, cucumis, ēnsis, fascis, follis, fūstis, lapis, mēnsis, orbis, piscis, postis, pulvis, vōmis;

mūs;

calix, fornix, grex, phoenīx, and nouns in -ex (gen. -icis) (§ 85);

dēns, fōns, mōns, pōns.

Neuter are vās (vāsis); crūs, iūs, pūs, rūs, tūs.

Neuter are nouns in -a, -e, -l, -n, -ar, -ur, -ŭs: as, poēma, mare, animal, nōmen, calcar, rōbur, corpus; also lac and caput.

Exceptions are the following:—

Masculine are sāl, sōl, pecten, vultur, lepus.

Feminine is pecus (gen. -udis).