Declension of Greek nouns in Latin
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).
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. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Pēnelopē | -ē | Circē | -ē | Aenēās | -ās | Leōnidās | -ās | Anchīsēs | -ēs | Alcīdēs | -ēs |
| Vocative | Aenēā (-a) |
-ā (-a) |
Leōnidā (-a) |
-ā (-a) |
Anchīsē (-a) (-ā) |
-ē (-a) (-ā) |
Alcīdē | -ē | ||||
| Accusative | Pēnelopēn (-am) |
-ēn (-am) |
Circēn (-am) |
-ēn (-am) |
Aenēān (-am) |
-ān (-am) |
Leōnidān (-am) |
-ān (-am) |
Anchīsēn (-am) |
-ēn (-am) |
Alcīdēn (-am) |
-ēn (-am) |
| Genitive | Pēnelopēs (-ae) |
-ēs (-ae) |
Circēs (-ae) |
-ēs (-ae) |
Aenēae | -ae | Leōnidae | -ae | Anchīsae | -ae | Alcīdae | -ae |
| Dative | Pēnelopae | -ae | Circae | -ae | ||||||||
| Ablative | Pēnelopē (-ā) |
-ē (-ā) |
Circē (-ā) |
-ē (-ā) |
Aenēā | -ā | Leōnidā | -ā | Anchīsā | -ā | Alcīdē (-ā) |
-ē (-ā) |
Declension of nouns
| nymphē, -ae f. nympha |
comētēs, -ae m. comet, meteor |
xiphiās, -ae m. swordfish | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | |||||||
| Nominative | nymphē (-a) |
-ē (-a) |
nymphae | -ae | comētēs (-a) |
-ēs (-a) |
cometae | -ae | xiphiās (-a) |
-ās (-a) |
xiphiae | -ae |
| Vocative | comētē (-a) |
-ē (-a) |
xiphiā (-a) |
-ā (-a) | ||||||||
| Accusative | nymphēn (-am) |
-ēn (-am) |
nymphās | -ās | comētēn (-am) |
-ēn (-am) |
comētās | -ās | xiphiān (-am) |
-ān (-am) |
xiphiās | -ās |
| Genitive | nymphēs (-ae) |
-ēs (-ae) |
nymphārum | -ārum | comētae (-ae) |
-ae | comētārum | -ārum | xiphiae (-ae) |
-ae | xiphiārum | -ārum |
| Dative | nymphae | -ae | nymphīs | -īs | comētae | -ae | comētīs | -īs | xiphiae | -ae | xiphiīs | -īs |
| Ablative | nymphē (-ā) |
-ē (-ā) |
comētē (-ā) |
-ē (-ā) |
xiphiā | -ā | ||||||
Second declension
Declension of proper names
| Īlion/-um, -ī n.[3] Troy |
Panthūs, -ī m. | Androgeōs/-us, -ī m. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Īlion (-um) |
-on (-um) |
Panthūs | -ūs | Androgeōs (-us) |
-ōs (-us) |
| Vocative | Īlion[4] (-um) |
-on (-um) |
Panthū | -ū | Androgeū (-e) |
-ū (-e) |
| Accusative | Īlion (-um) |
-on (-um) |
Panthūn (-um) |
-ūn (-um) |
Androgeō Androgeōn Androgeōna (-um) |
-ō -ōn -ōna (-um) |
| Genitive | Īliī | -ī | Panthī | -ī | Androgeī | -ī |
| Dative | Īliō | -ō | Panthō | -ō | Androgeō | -ō |
| Ablative | ||||||
Declension of nouns
| atomos/-us, -ī f. atom |
phaenomenon/-um, -ī n. phaenomenon | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | |||||
| Nominative | atomos (-us) |
-os (-us) |
atomī | -ī | phaenomenon (-um) |
-on (-um) |
phaenomena | -a |
| Vocative | atome | -e | ||||||
| Accusative | atomon (-um) |
-on (-um) |
atomōs | -ōs | phaenomenōs | -ōs | ||
| Genitive | atomī | -ī | atomōrum | -ōrum | phaenomenī | -ī | phaenomenōrum | -ōrum |
| Dative | atomō | -ō | atomīs | -īs | phaenomenō | -ō | phaenomenīs | -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. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Solōn Solō |
-ōn -ō |
Xenophōn | -ōn | Ātlās | -ās | Paris | -is | Thalēs | -ēs |
| Vocative | Solōn | -ōn | Ātlā | -ā | Pari (-is) |
-i (-is) |
Thalē | -ē | ||
| Accusative | Solōna (-em) |
-ōna (-em) |
Xenophōnta (-em) |
-ōnta (-em) |
Ātlanta (-em) |
-anta (-em) |
Parida Paridin (Parim) |
-ida -in (-im) |
Thalēta Thalēn (-em) |
-ēta -ēn (-em) |
| Genitive | Solōnis | -ōnis | Xenophōntis | -ōntis | Ātlantis | -antis | Paridos (-idis) |
-idos -idis |
Thalētis Thalis |
-ētis -is |
| Dative | Solōnī | -ōnī | Xenophōntī | -ōntī | Ātlantī | -antī | Paridī Paridi |
-idī -idi |
Thalētī Thalī |
-ētī -ī |
| Ablative | Solōne | -ōne | Xenophōnte | -ōnte | Ātlante | -ante | Paride | -ide | Thalē | -ē |
Declension of nouns
| āēr, -eris, -eros air m. or f. |
hērōs, -is hero m. |
haeresis, -is sect, heresy f. | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | |||||||
| Nominative | āēr | -ēr | āerēs | -ēs | hērōs | -s | hērōēs | -ēs | haeresis | -is | haeresēs | -ēs |
| Vocative | haeresi (-is) |
-i (-is) | ||||||||||
| Accusative | āera (-em) |
-a (-em) |
āerēs āera |
-es -a |
hērōa (-em) |
-a (-em) |
haeresin haeresem haeresim |
in -em -im |
haeresēs haeresīs |
-ēs -īs | ||
| Genitive | āeros (-is) |
-os (-is) |
āerum | -um | hērōis | -is | hērōum | -um | haereseōs haeresios (-is) |
eōs ios -is |
haeresium | -ium |
| Dative | āerī | -ī | āeribus | -ibus | hērōī | -ī | hērōibus | -ibus | haeresei (-ī) |
-ei -ī |
haeresibus | -ibus |
| Ablative | āere | -e | hērōe | -e | haeresei (-e) (-ī) |
-ei (-e) (-ī) | ||||||
Fourth declension
Declension of nouns
| ēchō, -ūs f. echo | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | |||
| Nominative | ēchō | -ō | ēchūs | -ūs |
| Vocative | ||||
| Accusative | ēchum | -um | ||
| Genitive | ēchūs | -ūs | ēchuum | -uum |
| Dative | ēchuī | -uī | ēchibus | -ibus |
| Ablative | ēchū | -ū | ||
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. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Orphēūs | -ēūs | Athōs | -ōs | Oedipus Oedipūs |
-us -ūs |
Achillēs Achilleus |
-ēs -eus |
Sōcratēs | -ēs | Dīdō | -ō |
| Vocative | Orphēū | -ēū | Oedipus | -us | Achillēs Achille Achillē Achillēī |
-ēs -e -ē -ēī |
Sōcratē Sōcrates |
-ē -es | ||||
| Accusative | Orphea Orpheum |
-ea -eum |
Athō Athōn Athōnem |
-ō -ōn -ōnem |
Oedipoda Oedipum |
-oda -um |
Achillea Achillēn Achillem |
-ea -ēn -em |
Sōcratōn Sōcratēn Sōcratem |
-ōn -ēn -em |
Dīdō Dīdōnem |
-ō -ōnem |
| Genitive | Orpheus Orphēī |
-eus -ēī |
Athō Athōnis |
-ō -ōnis |
Oedipodī Oedipodis |
-odis -odī |
Achilleī Achilleīs Achillī Achillis |
-eī -īs -ī -is |
Sōcratī Sōcratis |
-ī -is |
Dīdūs Dīdōnis |
-ūs -ōnis |
| Dative | Orpheō | -eō | Athō | -ō | Oedipodī | -odī | Achillī | -ī | Sōcratī | -ī | Dīdō Dīdōnī |
-ō -ōnī |
| Ablative | Athōne | -ōne | Oedipode Oedipō |
-ode -ō |
Achille Achillē Achillī |
-e -ē -ī |
Sōcrate | -e | Dīdō Dīdōne |
-ō -ōne | ||
References
- ^ "declension of Greek substantives in Latin". Informalmusic.com. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ http://dcc.dickinson.edu/grammar/latin/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ 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.
- ^ 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.