FOURTH DECLENSION
[88] The Stem of nouns of the Fourth Declension ends in u-. This is usually weakened to i before -bus. Masculine and Feminine nouns form the nominative by adding s; Neuters have for nominative the simple stem, but with (long).
[89] Nouns of the Fourth Declension are declined as follows:
manus, F., hand
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lacus, M., lake
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gen, N., knee
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STEM manu-
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STEM lacu-
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STEM genu-
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SINGULAR |
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CASE-ENDINGS |
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CASE-ENDINGS |
NOM. |
manus |
lacus |
-us |
gen |
- |
GEN. |
mans |
lacs |
-s |
gens |
-s |
DAT. |
manu(-) |
lacu(-) |
-u(-) |
gen |
- |
ACC. |
manum |
lacum |
-um |
gen |
- |
ABL. |
man |
lac |
- |
gen |
- |
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|
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PLURAL |
NOM. |
mans |
lacs |
-s |
genua |
-ua |
GEN. |
manuum |
lacuum |
-uum |
genuum |
-uum |
DAT. |
manibus |
lacubus |
-ibus(-ubus) |
genibus |
-ibus |
ACC. |
mans |
lacs |
-s |
genua |
-ua |
ABL. |
manibus |
lacubus |
-ibus(-ubus) |
genibus |
-ibus |
[p. 38] Gender in the Fourth Declension
Most nouns of the Fourth Declension in -us are Masculine.
Exceptions: The following are Feminine: acus, anus, colus, domus, ds (plural), manus, nurus, porticus, qunqutrs (plural), socrus, tribus, with a few names of plants and trees. Also, rarely, penus, specus.
The only Neuters of the Fourth Declension are corn, gen, pec ( 105. f), ver.
47
Case-Forms in the Fourth Declension
The following peculiarities in case-forms of the Fourth Declension require notice:
A genitive singular in - (as of the second declension) sometimes occurs in nouns in -tus: as, sentus, genitive sent (regularly sents).
In the genitive plural -uum is sometimes pronounced as one syllable, and may then be written -um: as, currum (Aen. 6.653) for curruum.
The dative and ablative plural in -bus are retained in partus and tribus; so regularly in artus and lacus, and occasionally in other words; portus and specus have both -ubus and -ibus.
Most names of plants and trees, and colus, distaff, have also forms of the second declension: as, fcus, fig, genitive fcs or fc.
An old genitive singular in -uis or -uos and an old genitive plural in -uom occur rarely: as, sentuis, sentuos; fluctuom.
The ablative singular ended anciently in -d (cf. 43. N. 1): as, magistrtd.
Domus (F.), house, has two stems ending in u- and o-. Hence it shows forms of both the fourth and second declensions:
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SINGULAR |
PLURAL |
NOM. |
domus |
doms |
GEN. |
doms (dom, loc.) |
domuum (domrum) |
DAT. |
domu (dom) |
domibus |
ACC. |
domum |
doms (doms) |
ABL. |
dom (dom) |
domibus |
NOTE 1.The Locative is dom (rarely domu), at home.
NOTE 2.The Genitive dom occurs in Plautus; domrum is late or poetic. [p. 39]
Most nouns of the Fourth Declension are formed from verb-stems, or roots, by means of the suffix -tus (-sus) ( 238. b):
cantus, song, CAN, can, sing; csus (for cad-tus), chance, CAD, cad, fall, exsultus, exile, from exsul, to be an exile (exsul).
Many are formed either from verb-stems not in use, or by analogy:
cnsultus (as if from cnsul, -re), sentus, incestus.
The accusative and the dative or ablative of nouns in -tus (-sus) form the Supines of verbs ( 159. b): as, specttum, pettum; dict, vs.
Of many verbal derivatives only the ablative is used as a noun: as, iuss (me), by (my) command; so iniuss (popul), without (the people's) order. Of some only the dative is used: as, dvsu.