DECLENSION OF NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES.
First Declension.
§266. Gen. Sing.—An old form in -āī is sometimes found in poetry; as ăqu-ă water, G. ăqu-āī.
Gen. Plur.—A form in -um' instead of -ārum is sometimes used in poetry from words of Greek origin, especially Patronymics, as Aeneādae descendants of Aeneas, G. Aenĕăd-um, and words ending in -gĕna, -cŏla, as caelĭcŏla, dweller in heaven, G. Plur., caelicol-um; drăchmum, amphŏrum, occur in prose.
D. Abl. Plur.—The only words in which classical authors use the inflexion -ābus are dĕă goddess, -fīlĭa daughter, lībertă freed-woman.
§ 267. Greek Nouns.—Proper names ending in -ē(Fem.) and -ās (Masc), and many in ēs (Masc), especially Patronymics in -dĕs, belong to this declension. They often retain the Greek inflexions, thus:
| N. | Circ-ē | Aenē-ās | Alcīd-ēs |
| V. | Circ-ē | Aenē-ā | Alcīd-ē[1] |
| A. | Circ-ē | Aene-ān or -am | Alcid-ēn |
| G. | Circ-ēs or -ae | Aenē-ae' | Alcid-ae |
| D. | Circ-ae | Aenē-ae | Alcid-ae |
| Abl. | Circ-ē(rarely -ā) | Aenē-ā | Alcid-ē (rarely -ā) |
So a few common nouns, as sŏphistēs sophist. Many Greek names in -ē have two forms, one Greek and one Latin: as Ătălantē, G. -ēs, or Ătălantă, G. -ae.
Second Declension.
§ 268. Gen. Sing.—The following Nouns in -ĕr make Gen. in -ĕrī: pŭer boy, sŏcer father-in-law, gĕner son-in-law, vesper evening, ădulter adulterer, Lĭber god of wine.
Gen. Plur.—A form in -um, instead of -ōrum, is used frequently in words denoting money, weights, or measures, as numm-um, mŏdi-um; in Numerals as bīn-um, dŭcent-um; in names of nations (in poetry) as Teucr-um, and sometimes in other words: dĕ-um, dīv-um, sŏcĭ-um, făbr-um, vĭr-um.
It is very rare in Neuters, as stădi-um, tălent-um.
- ↑ But other names in -ēs have oc. in -ā or -ă.
