FIRST AND SECOND DECLENSIONS (- AND o-STEMS)
[110] Adjectives of the First and Second Declensions (- and o-stems) are declined in the Masculine like servus, puer, or ager; in the Feminine like stella; and in the Neuter like bellum.
The regular type of an adjective of the First and Second Declensions is bonus, -a, -um, which is thus declined:
[p. 47]
NOTE.Stems in quo- have nominative -cus (-quos), -qua, -cum (-quom), accusative -cum (-quom), -quam, -cum (-quom), to avoid quu- (see 6. b and 46. N. 2). Thus,
NOM. propincus (-quos) |
propinqua |
propincum (-quom) |
GEN. propinqu
|
propinquae |
propinqu, etc. |
But most modern editions disregard this principle.
The Genitive Singular masculine of adjectives in -ius ends in -i, and the Vocative in -ie; not in -, as in nouns (cf. 49. b, c); as, Lacedaemonius, -i, -ie.
NOTE.The possessive meus, my, has the vocative masculine m (cf. 145).
Stems ending in ro- preceded by e form the Nominative Masculine like puer ( 47) and are declined as follows:
Like miser are declined asper, gibber, lacer, lber, prosper (also pros perus), satur (-ura, -urum), tener, with compounds of -fer and -ger: as, saetiger, -era, -erum, bristle-bearing; also, usually, dexter. In these the e belongs to the stem; but in dextra it is often omitted: as, dextra manus, the right hand.
NOTE.Stems in ro- (as prcrus), with mrigrus, proprus, have the regular nominative masculine in -us.
The following lack a nominative singular masculine in classic use: ctera, nfera, postera, supera. They are rarely found in the singular except in certain phrases: as, poster di, the next day.
NOTE.An ablative feminine in - is found in a few Greek adjectives: as, lectc; octphor (Verr. 5.27). [p. 48]
Stems in ro- preceded by a consonant form the Nominative Masculine like ager ( 47) and are declined as follows:
|
MASCULINE STEM nigro-
|
FEMININE STEM nigr-
|
NEUTER STEM nigro-
|
|
|
SINGULAR |
NOM. |
niger |
nigra |
nigrum |
GEN. |
nigr |
nigrae |
nigr |
DAT. |
nigr |
nigrae |
nigr |
ACC. |
nigrum |
nigram |
nigrum |
ABL. |
nigr |
nigr |
nigr |
|
|
PLURAL |
NOM. |
nigr |
nigrae |
nigra |
GEN. |
nigrrum |
nigrrum |
nigrrum |
DAT. |
nigrs |
nigrs |
nigrs |
ACC. |
nigrs |
nigrs |
nigra |
ABL. |
nigrs |
nigrs |
nigrs |
Like niger are declined aeger, ter, crber, faber, glaber, integer, ldicer, macer, piger, pulcher, ruber, sacer, scaber, sinister, taeter, vafer; also the possessives noster, vester ( 145).
The following nine adjectives with their compounds have the Genitive Singular in -us and the Dative in - in all genders:
alius (N. aliud), other.
|
ttus, whole.
|
alter, -terus, the other.
|
nllus, no, none.
|
llus, any.
|
neuter, -trus, neither.
|
slus, alone.
|
nus, one.
|
uter, -trus, which (of two). |
Of these the singular is thus declined:
[p. 49]
The plural of these words is regular, like that of bonus ( 110).
The genitive in -us, dative in -, and neuter in -d are pronominal in origin (cf. illus, ill, illud, and 146).
The i of the genitive ending -us, though originally long, may be made short in verse; so often in alterius and regularly in utriusque.
Instead of alus, alterus is commonly used, or in the possessive sense the adjective alinus, belonging to another, another's.
In compoundsas alterutersometimes both parts are declined, sometimes only the latter. Thus, alter utr or alterutr, to one of the two.
NOTE.The regular genitive and dative forms (as in bonus) are sometimes found in some of these words: as, genitive and dative feminine, aliae; dative masculine, ali. Rare forms are alis and alid (for alius, aliud).