Summary of First and Second Declension -ro/-ra Stem Adjectives
Summary of Declension
Adjectives with the stem ro- are of two classes: (i) those preceded by e [viz. ero-] and (ii) those preceded by a consonant [viz. gro-, bro-, fro-, etc.]
All members of both classes are first/second declension adjectives
Adjectives in Class (i) [ e-class ]
- asper, aspera, asperum : rude, crude, violent
- dexter, dextera, dexterum: right, favorable
- gibber, gibbera, gibberum : humpbacked
- lacer, lacera, lacerum : torn
- līber, lībera, līberum : free
- miser, misera, miserum : wretched
- tener, tenera, tenerum : soft, young, effeminate
- saetiger, saetigera, saetigerum : bristly (thorn-bearing)
- (like saetiger, all compounds of -fer and -ger, from ferō and gerō [i.o.] are members of this class)
Adjectives in Class (ii) [ consonant-class ]
- aeger, aegra, aegrum : sick, sad
- āter, ātra, ātrum : dark
- crēber, crēbra, crēbrum : thick, frequent
- faber, fabra, fabrum : skillful
- glaber, glabra, glabrum : smooth, hairless
- integer, integra, integrum : complete, untouched
- lūdicer, lūdicra, lūdicrum : sportive
- macer, macra, macrum : lean, thin
- niger, nigra, nigrum : black
- noster, nostra, nostrum : our
- piger, pigra, pigrum : slow, dull, lazy
- pulcher, pulchra, pulchrum : beautiful, excellent
- ruber, rubra, rubrum : red
- sacer, sacra, sacrum : holy
- sinister, sinistra, sinistrum : left, unfavorable
- taeter, taetra, taetrum : offensive, shocking
- vafer, vafra, vafrum : sly, crafty
- vester, vestra, vestrum : your (pl.)
Exceptional Variants
- satur, satura, saturum : full, sated
The Essential AG : 111, 112
Famous Phrase : aegri somnia (a sick man’s dreams = trouble sleep)
[Horace, Ars Poetica 7—but presently popular with hipster and counterculture groups]
