Declension of Greek nouns in Latin

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The declension of nouns in Latin that are borrowed from Greek varies significantly between different types of nouns, though certain patterns are common. Many nouns, particularly proper names, in particular, are fully Latinized and declined regularly according to their stem-characteristics. Others, however, either retain their Greek forms exclusively, or have the Greek and Latin forms side by side. These variations occur principally in the singular; in the plural the declension is usually regular. Note, however, that many Greek names of the third declension in Latin pass over into the first declension in the plural; as, Thūcȳdidās, Hyperīdae, and many names in -crates (such as, Sōcratae as well as Sōcratēs).

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In the vocative singular, names in -is, -ys, -ēs, -eus and -ās (Gen., -antis) form the vocative by dropping the -s from the nominative.

In the accusative singular, many proper and some common nouns, imparisyllabic, often take the Greek -a for -em. Names in -ēs, is and ys take -ēn, -in and -yn as well as -ēm, -im and ym.

A few Greek nouns in -os, mostly geographical, belong to the second declension, and sometimes have an accusative in -on such as Dēlos, Acc. Dēlon (but Dēlum in prose).

In the genitive singular, names in -ēs, parisyllabic, take -ī as well as -is. Some feminine nouns in -ô have the genitive in -ūs.

Greek names ending in -eus are declined both according to the Greek and according to the Latin second declension (but the genitive -eī and the dative -eō are often pronounced as one syllable in poets).

In the nominative plural, imparisyllabic nouns often take -es instead of -ēs and, in the accusative plural, the same nouns often take -ā instead of -ēs.

In the genitive plural, -ōn and -eōn are found in the titles of books, such as Geōrgicōn and Metamorphōseōn.

Greek neuter nouns in -ma (Gen., -matis) always make their dative and ablative plurals in -īs instead of -ibus. [1] [2]

First declension

Proper names ending in -ē (fem.) and -ās (masc.), and many in -ēs (masc.), especially patronymics in -dēs, belong to the First declension. So a few common nouns, as sōphistēs "sophist". Many Greek names in -ē have two forms, one Greek and one Latin: as Atalantē, -ēs, or Atalanta, -ae.

Declension of proper names

Pēnelopē, -ēs f.Circē, -ēs/-ae f.Aenēās, -ae m.Leōnidās, -ae m.Anchīsēs, -ae m.Alcīdēs, -ae
Hercules m.
NominativePēnelopēCircēAenēās-āsLeōnidās-āsAnchīsēs-ēsAlcīdēs-ēs
VocativeAenēā
(-a)

(-a)
Leōnidā
(-a)

(-a)
Anchīsē
(-a)
(-ā)

(-a)
(-ā)
Alcīdē
AccusativePēnelopēn
(-am)
-ēn
(-am)
Circēn
(-am)
-ēn
(-am)
Aenēān
(-am)
-ān
(-am)
Leōnidān
(-am)
-ān
(-am)
Anchīsēn
(-am)
-ēn
(-am)
Alcīdēn
(-am)
-ēn
(-am)
GenitivePēnelopēs
(-ae)
-ēs
(-ae)
Circēs
(-ae)
-ēs
(-ae)
Aenēae-aeLeōnidae-aeAnchīsae-aeAlcīdae-ae
DativePēnelopae-aeCircae-ae
AblativePēnelopē
(-ā)

(-ā)
Circē
(-ā)

(-ā)
AenēāLeōnidāAnchīsāAlcīdē
(-ā)

(-ā)

Declension of nouns

nymphē, -ae f.
nympha
comētēs, -ae m.
comet, meteor
xiphiās, -ae m.
swordfish
SingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
Nominativenymphē
(-a)

(-a)
nymphae-aecomētēs
(-a)
-ēs
(-a)
cometae-aexiphiās
(-a)
-ās
(-a)
xiphiae-ae
Vocativecomētē
(-a)

(-a)
xiphiā
(-a)

(-a)
Accusativenymphēn
(-am)
-ēn
(-am)
nymphās-āscomētēn
(-am)
-ēn
(-am)
comētās-āsxiphiān
(-am)
-ān
(-am)
xiphiās-ās
Genitivenymphēs
(-ae)
-ēs
(-ae)
nymphārum-ārumcomētae
(-ae)
-aecomētārum-ārumxiphiae
(-ae)
-aexiphiārum-ārum
Dativenymphae-aenymphīs-īscomētae-aecomētīs-īsxiphiae-aexiphiīs-īs
Ablativenymphē
(-ā)

(-ā)
comētē
(-ā)

(-ā)
xiphiā

Second declension

Declension of proper names


Īlion/-um, -ī n. [3]
Troy
Panthūs, -ī m.Androgeōs/-us, -ī m.
NominativeĪlion
(-um)
-on
(-um)
Panthūs-ūsAndrogeōs
(-us)
-ōs
(-us)
VocativeĪlion [4]
(-um)
-on
(-um)
PanthūAndrogeū
(-e)

(-e)
AccusativeĪlion
(-um)
-on
(-um)
Panthūn
(-um)
-ūn
(-um)
Androgeō
Androgeōn
Androgeōna
(-um)

-ōn
-ōna
(-um)
GenitiveĪliīPanthīAndrogeī
DativeĪliōPanthōAndrogeō
Ablative

Declension of nouns


atomos/-us, -ī f.
atom
phaenomenon/-um, -ī n.
phaenomenon
SingularPluralSingularPlural
Nominativeatomos
(-us)
-os
(-us)
atomīphaenomenon
(-um)
-on
(-um)
phaenomena-a
Vocativeatome-e
Accusativeatomon
(-um)
-on
(-um)
atomōs-ōsphaenomenōs-ōs
Genitiveatomīatomōrum-ōrumphaenomenīphaenomenōrum-ōrum
Dativeatomōatomīs-īsphaenomenōphaenomenīs-īs
Ablative

Third declension

Declension of proper names


Solōn/Solō, -ōnis m.Xenophōn, -ntis m.Atlās, -ntis m.Paris, -idis/-idos m.Thalēs, -is/-ētis m.
NominativeSolōn
Solō
-ōn
Xenophōn-ōnĀtlās-āsParis-isThalēs-ēs
VocativeSolōn-ōnĀtlāPari
(-is)
-i
(-is)
Thalē
AccusativeSolōna
(-em)
-ōna
(-em)
Xenophōnta
(-em)
-ōnta
(-em)
Ātlanta
(-em)
-anta
(-em)
Parida
Paridin
(Parim)
-ida
-in
(-im)
Thalēta
Thalēn
(-em)
-ēta
-ēn
(-em)
GenitiveSolōnis-ōnisXenophōntis-ōntisĀtlantis-antisParidos
(-idis)
-idos
-idis
Thalētis
Thalis
-ētis
-is
DativeSolōnī-ōnīXenophōntī-ōntīĀtlantī-antīParidī
Paridi
-idī
-idi
Thalētī
Thalī
-ētī
AblativeSolōne-ōneXenophōnte-ōnteĀtlante-anteParide-ideThalē

Declension of nouns


āēr, -eris, -eros
air m. or f.
hērōs, -is
hero m.
haeresis, -is
sect, heresy f.
SingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
Nominativeāēr-ērāerēs-ēshērōs-shērōēs-ēshaeresis-ishaeresēs-ēs
Vocativehaeresi
(-is)
-i
(-is)
Accusativeāera
(-em)
-a
(-em)
āerēs
āera
-es
-a
hērōa
(-em)
-a
(-em)
haeresin
haeresem
haeresim
in
-em
-im
haeresēs
haeresīs
-ēs
-īs
Genitiveāeros
(-is)
-os
(-is)
āerum-umhērōis-ishērōum-umhaereseōs
haeresios
(-is)
eōs
ios
-is
haeresium-ium
Dativeāerīāeribus-ibushērōīhērōibus-ibushaeresei
(-ī)
-ei
haeresibus-ibus
Ablativeāere-ehērōe-ehaeresei
(-e)
(-ī)
-ei
(-e)
(-ī)

Fourth declension

Declension of nouns


ēchō, -ūs f.
echo
SingularPlural
Nominativeēchōēchūs-ūs
Vocative
Accusativeēchum-um
Genitiveēchūs-ūsēchuum-uum
Dativeēchuī-uīēchibus-ibus
Ablativeēchū

Mixed declension

Declension of proper names


Orphēūs, -eus/-ēī m.Athōs, -ō/-ōnis m.Oedipus/-ūs, -odis/-odī m.Achillēs/-eus, -eī/-īs/-ī/-is m.Sōcratēs, -ī/-is m.Dīdō, -ūs/-ōnis f.
NominativeOrphēūs-ēūsAthōs-ōsOedipus
Oedipūs
-us
-ūs
Achillēs
Achilleus
-ēs
-eus
Sōcratēs-ēsDīdō
VocativeOrphēū-ēūOedipus-usAchillēs
Achille
Achillē
Achillēī
-ēs
-e

-ēī
Sōcratē
Sōcrates

-es
AccusativeOrphea
Orpheum
-ea
-eum
Athō
Athōn
Athōnem

-ōn
-ōnem
Oedipoda
Oedipum
-oda
-um
Achillea
Achillēn
Achillem
-ea
-ēn
-em
Sōcratōn
Sōcratēn
Sōcratem
-ōn
-ēn
-em
Dīdō
Dīdōnem

-ōnem
GenitiveOrpheus
Orphēī
-eus
-ēī
Athō
Athōnis

-ōnis
Oedipodī
Oedipodis
-odis
-odī
Achilleī
Achilleīs
Achillī
Achillis
-eī
-īs

-is
Sōcratī
Sōcratis

-is
Dīdūs
Dīdōnis
-ūs
-ōnis
DativeOrpheō-eōAthōOedipodī-odīAchillīSōcratīDīdō
Dīdōnī

-ōnī
AblativeAthōne-ōneOedipode
Oedipō
-ode
Achille
Achillē
Achillī
-e

Sōcrate-eDīdō
Dīdōne

-ōne

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References

  1. "declension of Greek substantives in Latin". Informalmusic.com. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  2. http://dcc.dickinson.edu/grammar/latin/.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. Traupman, John C. (2007). The Bantam new college Latin & English dictionary (3rd, Bantam mass market rev. ed.). New York: Bantam Books. pp. 10, 209. ISBN   9780553590128.
  4. Traupman, John C. (2007). The Bantam new college Latin & English dictionary (3rd, Bantam mass market rev. ed.). New York: Bantam Books. p. 11. ISBN   9780553590128.