Second declension

Last updated June 01, 2023

The second declension is a category of nouns in Latin and Greek with similar case formation. In particular, these nouns are thematic, with an original o in most of their forms.^[1] In Classical Latin, the short o of the nominative and accusative singular became u.

Both Latin and Greek have two basic classes of second-declension nouns: masculine or feminine in one class, neuter in another. Most words of the former class have -us (Latin) or -ος -os (Greek) in the nominative singular, except for the r-stem nouns in Latin, and the "Attic" declension and contracted declension in Attic Greek (when these groups are considered part of this declension). The latter class, i.e. the neuter nominative/accusative singular, usually ends with -um in Latin and -ον (-on) in Greek, matching the accusative of the former. In Latin, the masculine words of the second declension that end with -us in the nominative case are differently declined from the latter in the vocative case: such words end with -e.

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References

↑ Laughy, Wilfred E. Major and Michael. "Second Declension Nouns". Ancient Greek for Everyone: Essential Morphology and Syntax for Beginning Greek.

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[1] Laughy, Wilfred E. Major and Michael. "Second Declension Nouns". Ancient Greek for Everyone: Essential Morphology and Syntax for Beginning Greek.

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