Genitive of Friendship

Yeah, I made that genitive up, but only to describe a real phenomenon in Latin! Some adjectives of likeness, nearness, and belonging that normally take the dative will occasionally take a possessive genitive. This transition is especially common where the adjective approaches the force of a noun.

• Fuit hōc quondam proprium populī Rōmānī: this was once peculiar to the Roman people. (~a peculiar trait of)
• Fuit semper amīcus Cicerōnis: he was always friendly with Cicero. (~a friend of)
• Adeō patris similis es: you’re just like your master. (~a chip off the old block)

Here’s the full list of adjectives that perform this function—

• aequālis,  aequāle: of the same age (~a contemporary of)
• affīnis, affīne: related to by marriage (~kinsman of)
• aliēnus, -a, -um: belonging to another (~a stranger to)
• cōgnātus, -a, -um: fellow-born (~kinsman of)
• commūnis, commūne: common to (~kinsman of)
• cōnsanguineus, -a, -um: sharing a bloodline (~kinsman of)
• contrārius, -a, -um: opposite (~the opposite of)
• dispār: unlike (dispar suī, in philosophical diction)
• familiāris, familiāre: of close relation (~intimate of)
• fīnitimus, -a, -um: adjoining (~neighbor of)
• inimīcus, -a, -um: hostile to (~enemy of)
• necessārius, -a, -um: connected with (~component of)
• pār: equal to (~a match)
• pecūliāris, pecūliāre: personal (~peculiar trait of)
• propinquus, -a, -um: neighboring (~neighbor of)
• proprius, -a, -um: personal (~peculiar trait of)
• sacer, sacra, sacrum: holy (~holy with respect to some deity)
• similis, simile: alike to (~spitting image of)
• superstes: surviving (~survivor of)
• vīcīnus, -a, -um: neighboring (~neighbor of)

Note that this genitive construction is actually more common for proprius, -a, -um than the dative construction.

Similis with the genitive is especially common with personal pronouns (meī, tuī, suī) and within the fixed phrase vērī similis (probable).

I-Stems: Summary [8/8]

Like A&G, I would like to conclude my series on i-stems with a short assessment of the basic rules and variations associated with the i-stem class.

A&G paint a picture of cultural amnesia regarding Roman relations with the i-stem. As I have shown in previous posts, in all but the genitive plural (ium), and the neuter accusative/nominative plural (ia), the unique i-stem endings are rare or optional. (cf. the status of English ‘who/m’).

• The nominative singular could be -is (sitis, is) but also ēs/-s/–x, etc.
• The accusative singular could be -im but also -em.
• The ablative singular could be -ī or it could be -e.
• The accusative masc/fem plural might be -īs but it’s usually -ēs.

AG: 76

I-Stems: Miscellania [7/8]

There are a few miscellaneous rules associated with the i-stem class that I want to make available, based on crumbs and morsels from A&Gs remaining material.

1. The nominative plural ending -īs (for masc/fem nouns) is possible, but rare, and much rarer than the accusative plural -īs for the same set of nouns.

2. Remember how trusty that plural genitive -ium is supposed to be? It’s supposed to be there for any i-stem noun, whether pure or mixed; masculine, feminine or neuter. Well, not quite…

The following nouns always display -um in place of –ium.

• canis, iuvenis, abāgēs, mare, volūcris, sēdēs, vātēs

The following nouns sometimes or rarely display -um in place of -ium.

• apis, caedēs, clādēs, mēnsis, struēs, subolēs, and the patrials (for more on the patrials, see this post.)

You’ll notice that many of these are mixed i-stems, and their unfaithful genitive plural is one of the features that makes them mixed.

The Essential AG: 77-8

I-Stems: Ablative -ī [6/8]

We see that -im and -ī tend to be common in the same words. That is, where -im is of frequency, so too is -ī.

• For more on where the -im ending shows up, see this post.
• Beyond the contents of that post, the -ī ablative ending also appears:

Always—

1. with secūrī
2. with the adjectives (nominative -is) where these are used as nouns:

• aequālī (a contemporary)
• annālī (annals)
• aquālī (washbasin)
• cōnsulārī (former consul, member of the consular rank)
• gentīlī (relative)
• molārī (millstone)
• prīmpīlārī (chief centurion)
• tribūlī (fellow tribesman)

(As adjectives proper, they would be aequāle, annāle, etc. in the ablative.)

3. in the ablative of i-stem neuters (animālī, baccārī, etc.)

Sometimes—

1. With the following nouns: avis, clāvis, febris, fīnis, īgnis, imber, lūx, nāvis, ovis, pelvis, puppis, sēmentis, strigilis, turris (definitions)

2. With the following adjectives (nominative -is or -ens) where they are used as substantives:

• affīnī (son-in-law)
• bipennī (battle-ax)
• canālī (pipe)
• familiārī (immediate family member)
• nātālī (birthday, anniversary)
• rīvālī (rival, competitor)
• sapientī (wise man)
• tridentī  (trident)
• trirēmī (trireme)
• vōcālī (vowel, vocalist (pl.))

(As adjectives, they would be affīne, bipenne, etc.)

Apparent Exceptions—

1. The ablative of famēs (hunger) is always famē (not famī nor fame)
2. The case defective māne (morning) is sometimes mānī (the word is found only in the ablative).
3. Canis (dog) and iuvenis (youth) always take the ablative -e, never -ī. (contrast with avis, clāvis, etc.)

I-Stems: Mixed I-Stems [5/8]

In my opinion, A&G make too big a fuss over mixed i-stems, which are essentially a broad class of nouns that usually feature a genitive plural in -ium and might feature an accusative plural in -īs, but are otherwise regular third declension nouns.

Here are five of their six morphological classes, along with all the examples they offer. (I’m excluding 71.4 because it’s ridiculous that they’ve placed it there at all):

1. Nouns in (n.) -ēs, (g.) -is.

• acīnacēs, -is (m.) scimitar
• aedēs, -is (f.) temple
• aciēs, -is (f.) point, battle line
• caedēs, -is (f.) slaughter
• cautēs, -is (f.) crag
• clādēs, -is (f.) destruction
• compāgēs, -is (f.) structure
• contāgēs, -is (f.) sense of touch
• famēs, -is (f.) hunger
• fēlēs, -is (f.) cat
• fidēs, -is (f.) faith, trust, loyalty, reputation, etc.
• indolēs, indolis (f.) inborn quality
• lābēs, labis (f.) fall, destruction
• luēs, luis (f.) liquid water
• mēlēs, mēlis (m/f.) marten, badger
• mōlēs, mōlis (f.) mass, bulk
• nūbēs, nūbis (m/f.) cloud
• palumbēs, palumbis (m/f.) dove
• prōlēs, prōlis (f.) shoot, offspring, descendants
• prōpāgēs, prōpāgis (f.) shoot, offspring, descendants
• pūbēs, pūbis (f.) young man
• sēdēs, sēdis (f.) seat, office
• saepēs, saepis (f.) hedge, fence
• sordēs, sordis (f.) filth
• strāges, strāgis (f.) overthrow, destruction
• struēs, struis (f.) pile
• subolēs, subolis (f.) shoot, offspring, descendants
• tābēs, tabis (f.) decline, decay
• torquēs, torquis (f.) necklace
• tudēs, tudis (m.) hammer
• vātēs, vātis (m/f.) prophet
• vehēs, vehis (f.) cart-load (quantity)
• veprēs, vepris  (m.) bramble-bush
• verrēs, verris (m.) boar
• vulpēs, vulpis (f.) fox

2. All monosyllable nominatives in -s or -x preceded by a consonant.

• ars, artis (f.) skill, art, technique
• pōns, pontis (m.) bridge
• arx, arcis (f.) fortress

3. On the following monosyllable nominatives in -s or –x preceded by a vowel.

• dōs, dōtis (f.) dowry
• fraus, fraudis (f.) deceit, fraud
• glīs, glīris (m.) dormouse
• līs, lītis (f.) case, quarrel
• mās, māris (m.) male
• mūs, mūris (m/f.) mouse
• nix, nivis (f.) snow
• nox, noctis (f.) night
• strix, strigis (f.) channel, furrow
• vīs, vis (f.) force

4. Polysyllable nominatives in -ns or -rs.

• cliēns, -entis (m.) client, follower
• cohors, -ortis (m.) companion

This does not apply to all present active participles!

5. Patrials (nouns denoting birth, class, abode) in -ās and -īs.

• Arpīnās (Arpīnātēs)… Aprīnātium
• Optimās (Optimātēs)… Optimātium
• Penās (Penātēs)… Penātium
• Quirīs (Quiṝitēs)… Quiritium

The (very much non-)Essential AG: 71-2

The Aratrum: A Now-Mysterious Tool

While we’re on the topic of i-stems (the dentālia, in particular), here are comparative diagrams of the English plot and Latin aratrum.

I couldn’t find two pictures that corresponding exactly, but using these two along with Lewis and Short we can offer the following definitions:

• buris, buris (m.) plow-beam: the curved hind-piece that would feature a yoke-hole for the oxen (replaced by human handles in English plow)
• tēmo, tēmōnis, (m.) plow-beam/’tongue of the plow’: the portion of the plow beam that sticks forward as the plow moves forward

(Think of it as the bow of a ship. If you need it, here’s the distinction between the prow and the bow.)

• dentālia, dentālium (n.) plow-share: the hind-wood of the plow-share
• vōmer, vōmeris (m.) plow-share: the fore-wood of the plow-share
• culter, cultrī (m.) coulter: the knife that cuts the furrow

(These three parts work together like the prow of a ship to cut a widened furrow in the field. The coulter makes the initiate cut, and the plow-share spreads this. Imagine opening a Ziploc bag… you can open it with a pencil and it will open but remain narrowly open, or you can open it with your whole hand and it will open wide.)

• aurēs, aurium (another i-stem!): the plow-ears, which further widen the furrow, and are curved to curl the dirt in an outward direction.

I’m sure this description is inadequate, and a Youtube video with a live plow would be so much more helpful. I failed to find such a video, but if anyone has seen one, please leave the link in the comments!

I-Stems: Neuter Exceptions [4/8]

So, unfortunately, I stated earlier that the neuter i-stem class is entirely regular. In fact, a footnote in A&G reveals about ten exceptions.

These nouns are almost regular, except that with consonantal stems –al and –ar they also add the ending -e to the nominative and accusative singular. Note that because of this ending, the -ā- is long in all cases.

Where the singular is uncommon or does not exist, I have used the plural.

• alveāre, alveāris, beehive
• augurāle, augurālis, augur’s staff
• capillāre, capillāris, pomade
• cochlearē, cochleāris, spoon
• collāre, collāris, collar
• dentālia, dentālium, sharebeam of a plow (What?)
• fōcāle, fōcālis, cravat (What?)
• nāvāle, nāvālis, dock
• penetrāle, penetrālis, inner shrine
• rāmālia, rāmālium, twigs
• scūtāle, scūtālis, thong of a sling
• tibiālia, tibiālia, shin-length stockings

The Essential AG: 68n2

I-Stems: Neuter Exemplāria [3/8]

In this post, I want to expand on a footnote in A&G, which lists a whole herd of neuter i-stems, but then offers them no definitions.

Sample i-Stem neuters:

(if given in the plural, singular is rare or non-existent)

in -al

• animal, animālis, animal
• Bacchānal, Bacchānālis, Bacchanalian orgy
• bidental, bidentālis, sacred space struck by lightening
• capital, capitālis, capital punishment
• cervīcal, cervīcālis, pillow, cushion
• cubital, cubitālis, elbow cushion
• frontālia, frontālium, frontlet of a horse (What the hell is that?)
• genuālia, genuālium, leggings
• Lupercal, Lupercālis, cave on the Palatine Hill
• minūtal, minūtalis, stew
• puteal, puteālis, structure surrounding the mouth of a well
• spōnsālia, spōnsālium, wedding
• quadrantal, quandrantālis, unit of liquid measure (a cubic (Roman) foot)
• toral, torālis, valance of a couch (What the hell is that?)
• vectīgal, vectīgālis, tax

in -ar

• altāria, altārium, fittings for burnt offerings (also, apparently now a Pokemon… *nostalgia*)
• cochlear, cochleāris, spoon
• exemplar, exemplāris, example, standard
• lacūnar, lacūnāris, paneled ceiling (example)
• laquear, laqueāris, (also) paneled ceiling
• lūcar, lūcāris, actor’s fee
• lūminār, lūmināris, window shutter
• lupānar, lupānāris, brothel
• palear, paleāris, dewlap (What the hell is that?)
• plantāria, plantārium, sandals
• pulvīnar, pulvināris, couch for image of deity
• Sāturnālia, Sāturnālium, optimo diērum, Catullus 14.15
• speculāria, speculārium, window panes
• tālāria, tālārium, winged sandals of Hermes
• torcular, torculāris, wine press

The Essential AG: 68n1

I-Stems: Masculine and Feminine Declension(s) [1/8]

As A&G note, “The i-stem was confused by even the Romans themselves.” There are a variety of variations with this stem present in all three grammatical genders, making it incredibly difficult to organize the data except in broad patterns and rote memorization. To that effective, I’m going to design a series of posts on the i-stem declension.

In this section, we’ll introduce the i-stem as a morphological class, and discuss the declension of ‘regular’ masculine and feminine i-stem nouns.

First off, all i-stems are either pure or mixed.

Most pure i-stems are immediately identifiable by their lexical entry, because they feature parisyllabic  (having the same number of syllables) nominative and genitive forms. This is true of masculine, feminine and neuter i-stem nouns. However, most masculine and feminine nouns also have nominative and genitive forms that are completely identical. Let’s take a look:

sitis, sitis (f.) thirst (declined only in the singular, for sensible reasons)

ignis, ignis (m.) fire

A few unique features to note:

• nominative singular -is (except in four cases, see below)
• accusative singular –im (though not always)
• ablative singular -ī (though not always)
• genitive plural -ium (strictly)

As you can see, there aren’t many markers (just one) that guarantee any given noun is an i-stem noun. In fact, it would be possible to decline ignis in a way such that only it’s nominative singular and genitive plural gave any hint of the i-stem status.

With four nouns in particular (imber, rain; linter, skiff; ūter, wineskin; venter, belly) this problem is even more evidence because here even the nominative is lost as a distinctive feature. The only morphological form that demonstrates imber‘s i-stem status is its genitive plural imbrium.

So to review masculine and feminine i-stem declension: difficult, difficult, difficult. As we’ll see, the neuter declension isn’t much easier…

The essential AG: 66-7.

I-Stems: Neuter Declension [p2/8]

As A&G note, “The i-stem was confused by even the Romans themselves.” There are a variety of variations with this stem present in all three grammatical genders, making it incredibly difficult to organize the data except in broad patterns and rote memorization. To that effective, I’m going to design a series of posts on the i-stem declension.

The basic neuter i-stem declension takes the stem (mari-) and converts the final i- to an e- in the nominative and accusative singular.

mare, maris (n.) sea

sedīle, sedīlis (n.) seat

(photo credit: Wiktionary).

In this basic output, the neuter i-stem is far more regular than its masculine and feminine counterparts:

• Nominative and accusative singular: -e
• Ablative singular: -ī
• Nominative and accusative plural: -ia
• Genitive plural: -ium

These are all regularized and there are no exceptions…except for the majority of nouns in the neuter i-stem declension, which don’t decline like this at all. Most neuter i-stem nouns have a consonantal base in -al or -ar, which is retained in all morphological forms. This causes only one change: these forms are animal, animalis, and not *animale, animalis. Everything else remains the same.

tribūnal, tribūnālis (n.) judge’s platform

There’s one feature that Wiktionary fails to capture in this chat. The -a- at the end of the stem is short in the nominative and accusative singular, but along everywhere else (see my lexical entry above). This is true of all i-stem nouns ending in –al or -ar.

calcar, calcāris (n.): spur

(Here they got the -a- right. Go figure.)

There you have it! The neuter i-stem declension. It’s fairly regular; it merely entails a large quantity of regular rules.

The Essential AG: 68-9