Bennett's New Latin Grammar is a book, now in the public domain, written by the famous Charles E. Bennett. I have made this version available online. Of course there may be errors, so use at your own risk.
THIRD DECLENSION.
28. Nouns of the Third Declension end in -a, -e, -ī, -ō, -y, -c, -l, -n, -r, -s, -t, -x. The Third Declension includes several distinct classes of Stems, -
| I. | Pure Consonant-Stems. |
| II. | ĭ-Stems. |
| III. | Consonant-Stems which have partially adapted themselves to the inflection of ĭ-Stems. |
| IV. | A very few stems ending in a long vowel or a diphthong. |
| V. | Irregular Nouns. |
29. 1. In these the stem appears in its unaltered form in all the oblique cases, so that the actual case-endings may be clearly recognized.
2. Consonant-Stems fall into several natural subdivisions, according as the stem ends in a Mute, Liquid, Nasal, or Spirant.
A. Mute-Stems.
30. Mute-Stems may end, -
1. In a Labial (p); as, prīncep-s.
2. In a Guttural (g or c); as, rēmex (rēmeg-s); dux (duc-s).
3. In a Dental (d or t); as, lapis (lapid-s); mīles (mīlet-s).
1. STEMS IN A LABIAL MUTE (p).
31. Prīnceps, m., chief.
| SINGULAR. | TERMINATION. | |
| Nom. | prīnceps | -s |
| Gen. | prīncipis | -is |
| Dat. | prīncipī | -ī |
| Acc. | prīncipem | -em |
| Voc. | prīnceps | -s |
| Abl. | prīncipe | -e |
|
PLURAL. |
||
| Nom. | prīncipēs | -ēs |
| Gen. | prīncipum | -um |
| Dat. | prīncipibus | -ibus |
| Acc. | prīncipēs | -ēs |
| Voc. | prīncipēs | -ēs |
| Abl. | prīncipibus | -ibus |
2. STEMS IN A GUTTURAL MUTE (g, c).
32. In these the termination -s of the Nominative Singular unites with the guttural, thus producing -x.
| Rēmex, m., rower. | Dux, c., leader. | |||
| SINGULAR. | PLURAL. | SINGULAR. | PLURAL. | |
| Nom. | rēmex | rēmigēs | dux | ducēs |
| Gen. | rēmigis | rēmigum | ducis | ducum |
| Dat. | rēmigī | rēmigibus | ducī | ducibus |
| Acc. | rēmigem | rēmigēs | ducem | ducēs |
| Voc. | rēmex | rēmigēs | dux | ducēs |
| Abl. | rēmige | rēmigibus | duce | ducibus |
3. STEMS IN A DENTAL MUTE (d, t).
33. In these the final d or t of the stem disappears in the Nominative Singular before the ending -s.
| Lapis, m., stone. | Mīles, m., soldier. | |||
| SINGULAR. | PLURAL. | SINGULAR. | PLURAL. | |
| Nom. | lapis | lapidēs | mīles | mīlitēs |
| Gen. | lapidis | lapidum | mīlitis | mīlitum |
| Dat. | lapidī | lapidibus | mīlitī | mīlitibus |
| Acc. | lapidem | lapidēs | mīlitem | mīlitēs |
| Voc. | lapis | lapidēs | mīles | mīlitēs |
| Abl. | lapide | lapidibus | mīlite | mīlitibus |
B. Liquid Stems.
34. These end in -l or -r.
| Vigil, m., watchman. | Victor, m., conqueror. | Aequor, n., sea. | |
|
SINGULAR. |
|||
| Nom. | vigil | victor | aequor |
| Gen. | vigilis | victōris | aequoris |
| Dat. | vigilī | victōrī | aequorī |
| Acc. | vigilem | victōrem | aequor |
| Voc. | vigil | victor | aequor |
| Abl. | vigile | victōre | aequore |
|
PLURAL. |
|||
| Nom. | vigilēs | victōrēs | aequora |
| Gen. | vigilum | victōrum | aequorum |
| Dat. | vigilibus | victōribus | aequoribus |
| Acc. | vigilēs | victōrēs | aequora |
| Voc. | vigilēs | victōrēs | aequora |
| Abl. | vigilibus | victōribus | aequoribus |
1. Masculine and Feminine stems ending in a liquid form the Nominative and Vocative Singular without termination.
2. The termination is also lacking in the Nominative, Accusative and Vocative Singular of all neuters of the Third Declension.
C. Nasal Stems.
35. These end in -n,[13] which often disappears in the Nom. Sing.
| Leō, m., lion. | Nōmen, n., name | |||
| SINGULAR. | PLURAL. | SINGULAR. | PLURAL. | |
| Nom. | leō | leōnēs | nōmen | nōmina |
| Gen. | leōnis | leōnum | nōminis | nōminum |
| Dat. | leōnī | leōnibus | nōminī | nōminibus |
| Acc. | leōnem | leōnēs | nōmen | nōmina |
| Voc. | leō | leōnēs | nōmen | nōmina |
| Abl. | leōne | leōnibus | nōmine | nōminibus |
D. s-Stems.
36.
| Mōs, m. custom. | Genus, n., race. | Honor, m., honor. | |
|
SINGULAR. |
|||
| Nom. | mōs | genus | honor |
| Gen. | mōris | generis | honōris |
| Dat. | mōrī | generī | honōrī |
| Acc. | mōrem | genus | honōrem |
| Voc. | mōs | genus | honor |
| Abl. | mōre | genere | honōre |
|
PLURAL. |
|||
| Nom. | mōrēs | genera | honōrēs |
| Gen. | mōrum | generum | honōrum |
| Dat. | mōribus | generibus | honōribus |
| Acc. | mōrēs | genera | honōrēs |
| Voc. | mōrēs | genera | honōrēs |
| Abl. | mōribus | generibus | honōribus |
1. Note that the final s of the stem becomes r (between vowels) in the oblique cases. In many words (honor, color, and the like) the r of the oblique cases has, by analogy, crept into the Nominative, displacing the earlier s, though the forms honōs, colōs, etc., also occur, particularly in early Latin and in poetry.
A. Masculine and Feminine ĭ-Stems.
37. These regularly end in -is in the Nominative Singular, and always have -ium in the Genitive Plural. Originally the Accusative Singular ended in -im, the Ablative Singular in -ī, and the Accusative Plural in -īs; but these endings have been largely displaced by -em, -e, and -ēs, the endings of Consonant-Stems.
38.
| Tussis, f., cough; stem, tussi-. | Īgnis, m., fire; stem, īgni-. | Hostis, c., enemy; stem, hosti-. | ||
|
SINGULAR. |
TERMINATION. |
|||
| Nom. | tussis | īgnis | hostis | -is |
| Gen. | tussis | īgnis | hostis | -is |
| Dat. | tussī | īgnī | hostī | -ī |
| Acc. | tussim | īgnem | hostem | -im, -em |
| Voc. | tussis | īgnis | hostis | -is |
| Abl. | tussī | īgnī or e | hoste | -ī, -e |
|
PLURAL. |
||||
| Nom. | tussēs | īgnēs | hostēs | -ēs |
| Gen. | tussium | īgnium | hostium | -ium |
| Dat. | tussibus | īgnibus | hostibus | -ibus |
| Acc. | tussīs or -ēs | īgnīs or -ēs | hostīs or -ēs | -īs, -ēs |
| Voc. | tussēs | īgnēs | hostēs | -ēs |
| Abl. | tussibus | īgnibus | hostibus | -ibus |
1. To the same class belong -
| apis, bee. | crātis, hurdle. | †*secūris, axe. |
| auris, ear. | *febris, fever. | sēmentis, sowing. |
| avis, bird. | orbis, circle. | †*sitis, thirst. |
| axis, axle. | ovis, sheep. | torris, brand. |
| *būris, plough-beam. | pelvis, basin. | †*turris, tower. |
| clāvis, key. | puppis, stern. | trudis, pole. |
| collis, hill. | restis, rope. | vectis, lever. |
| and many others. |
Words marked with a star regularly have Acc. -im; those marked with a † regularly have Abl. -ī. Of the others, many at times show -im and -ī. Town and river names in -is regularly have -im, -ī.
2. Not all nouns in -is are ĭ-Stems. Some are genuine consonant-stems, and have the regular consonant terminations throughout, notably, canis, dog; juvenis, youth.[14]
3. Some genuine ĭ-Stems have become disguised in the Nominative Singular; as, pars, part, for par(ti)s; anas, duck, for ana(ti)s; so also mors, death; dōs, dowry; nox, night; sors, lot; mēns, mind; ars, art; gēns, tribe; and some others.
B. Neuter ĭ-Stems.
39. These end in the Nominative Singular in -e, -al, and -ar. They always have -ī in the Ablative Singular, -ia in the Nominative, Accusative, and Vocative Plural, and -ium in the Genitive Plural, thus holding more steadfastly to the i-character than do Masculine and Feminine ĭ-Stems.
|
Sedile, seat; stem, sedīli-. |
Animal, animal; stem, animāli-. |
Calcar, spur; stem, calcāri-. |
||
|
SINGULAR. |
TERMINATION. |
|||
| Nom. | sedīle | animal | calcar | -e or wanting |
| Gen. | sedīlis | animālis | calcāris | -is |
| Dat. | sedīlī | animālī | calcārī | -ī |
| Acc. | sedīle | animal | calcar | -e or wanting |
| Voc. | sedīle | animal | calcar | -e or wanting |
| Abl. | sedīlī | animālī | calcārī | -ī |
|
PLURAL. |
||||
| Nom. | sedīlia | animālia | calcāria | -ia |
| Gen. | sedīlium | animālium | calcārium | -ium |
| Dat. | sedīlibus | animālibus | calcāribus | -ibus |
| Acc. | sedīlia | animālia | calcāria | -ia |
| Voc. | sedīlia | animālia | calcāria | -ia |
| Abl. | sedīlibus | animālibus | calcāribus | -ibus |
1. In most words of this class the final -i of the stem is lost in the Nominative Singular; in others it appears as -e.
2. Proper names in -e form the Ablative Singular in -e; as, Sōracte, Mt. Soracte; so also sometimes mare, sea.
40. Many Consonant-Stems have so far adapted themselves to the inflection of ĭ-stems as to take -ium in the Genitive Plural, and -īs in the Accusative Plural. Their true character as Consonant-Stems, however, is shown by the fact that they never take -im in the Accusative Singular, or -ī in the Ablative Singular. The following words are examples of this class: -
|
Caedēs, f., slaughter; stem, caed-. |
Arx, f., citadel; stem, arc-. |
Linter, f., skiff; stem, lintr-. |
|
|
SINGULAR. |
|||
| Nom. | caedēs | arx | linter |
| Gen. | caedis | arcis | lintris |
| Dat. | caedī | arcī | lintrī |
| Acc. | caedem | arcem | lintrem |
| Voc. | caedēs | arx | linter |
| Abl. | caede | arce | lintre |
|
PLURAL. |
|||
| Nom. | caedēs | arcēs | lintrēs |
| Gen. | caedium | arcium | lintrium |
| Dat. | caedibus | arcibus | lintribus |
| Acc. | caedēs, -īs | arcēs, -īs | lintrēs, -īs |
| Voc. | caedēs | arcēs | lintrēs |
| Abl. | caedibus | arcibus | lintribus |
1. The following classes of nouns belong here: -
a) Nouns in -ēs, with Genitive in -is; as, nūbēs, aedēs, clādēs, etc.
b) Many monosyllables in -s or -x preceded by one or more consonants; as, urbs, mōns, stirps, lanx.
c) Most nouns in -ns and -rs as, cliēns, cohors.
d) Ūter, venter; fūr, līs, mās, mūs, nix; and the Plurals faucēs, penātēs, Optimātēs, Samnitēs, Quirītēs.
e) Sometimes nouns in -tās with Genitive -tātis; as, cīvitās, aetās. Cīvitās usually has cīvitātium.
41.
|
Vis, f., force; stem, vī-. |
Sūs, c., swine; stem, sū-. |
Bōs, c., ox, cow; stem, bou-. |
Juppiter, m., Jupiter; stem, Jou-. |
|
|
SINGULAR. |
||||
| Nom. | vīs | sūs | bōs | Juppiter |
| Gen. | - - | suis | bovis | Jovis |
| Dat. | - - | suī | bovī | Jovī |
| Acc. | vim | suem | bovem | Jovem |
| Voc. | vīs | sūs | bōs | Juppiter |
| Abl. | vī | sue | bove | Jove |
|
PLURAL. |
||||
| Nom. | vīrēs | suēs | bovēs | |
| Gen. | vīrium | suum | bovum, boum | |
| Dat. | vīribus | suibus, subus | bōbus, būbus | |
| Acc. | vīrēs | suēs | bovēs | |
| Voc. | vīrēs | suēs | bovēs | |
| Abl. | vīribus | suibus, subus | bōbus, būbus | |
1. Notice that the oblique cases of sūs have ŭ in the root syllable.
2. Grūs is declined like sūs, except that the Dative and Ablative Plural are always gruibus.
3. Juppiter is for Jou-pater, and therefore contains the same stem as in Jov-is, Jov-ī, etc.
Nāvis was originally a diphthong stem ending in au-, but it has passed over to the ĭ-stems (§ 37). Its ablative often ends in -ī.
42.
|
Senex, m., old man. |
Carō, f., flesh. | Os, n., bone. | |
|
SINGULAR. |
|||
| Nom. | senex | carō | os |
| Gen. | senis | carnis | ossis |
| Dat. | senī | carnī | ossī |
| Acc. | senem | carnem | os |
| Voc. | senex | carō | os |
| Abl. | sene | carne | osse |
|
PLURAL. |
|||
| Nom. | senēs | carnēs | ossa |
| Gen. | senum | carnium | ossium |
| Dat. | senibus | carnibus | ossibus |
| Acc. | senēs | carnēs | ossa |
| Voc. | senēs | carnēs | ossa |
| Abl. | senibus | carnibus | ossibus |
1. Iter, itineris, n., way, is inflected regularly throughout from the stem itiner-.
2. Supellex, supellectilis, f., furniture, is confined to the Singular. The oblique cases are formed from the stem supellectil-. The ablative has both -ī and -e.
3. Jecur, n., liver, forms its oblique cases from two stems, - jecor- and jecinor-. Thus, Gen. jecoris or jecinoris.
4. Femur, n., thigh, usually forms its oblique cases from the stem femor-, but sometimes from the stem femin-. Thus, Gen. femoris or feminis.
43. 1. Nouns in -ō, -or, -ōs, -er, -ĕs are Masculine.
2. Nouns in -ās, -ēs, -is, -ys, -x, -s (preceded by a consonant); -dō, -gō (Genitive -inis); -iō (abstract and collective), -ūs (Genitive -ātis or -ūdis) are Feminine.
3. Nouns ending in -a, -e, -i, -y, -o, -l, -n, -t, -ar, -ur, -ŭs are Neuter.
44. Exceptions to the Rule for Masculines.
1. Nouns in -ō.
a. Feminine: carō, flesh.
2. Nouns in -or.
a. Feminine: arbor, tree.
b. Neuter: aequor, sea; cor, heart; marmor, marble.
3. Nouns in -ōs.
a. Feminine: dōs, dowry.
b. Neuter: ōs (ōris), mouth.
4. Nouns in -er.
a. Feminine: linter, skiff.
b. Neuter: cadāver, corpse; iter, way; tūber, tumor; ūber, udder. Also botanical names in -er; as, acer, maple.
5. Nouns in -ĕs.
a. Feminine: seges, crop.
45. Exceptions to the Rule for Feminines.
1. Nouns in -ās.
a. Masculine: vās, bondsman.
b. Neuter: vās, vessel.
2. Nouns in -ēs.
a. Masculine: ariēs, ram; pariēs, wall; pēs, foot.
3. Nouns in -is.
a. Masculine: all nouns in -nis and -guis; as, amnis, river; īgnis, fire; pānis, bread; sanguis, blood; unguis, nail.
Also -
|
axis, axle. collis, hill. fascis, bundle. lapis, stone. mēnsis, month. |
piscis, fish. postis, post. pulvis, dust. orbis, circle. sentis, brier. |
4. Nouns in -x.
a. Masculine: apex, peak; cōdex, tree-trunk; grex, flock; imbrex, tile; pollex, thumb; vertex, summit; calix, cup.
5. Nouns in -s preceded by a consonant.
a. Masculine: dēns, tooth; fōns, fountain; mōns, mountain; pōns, bridge.
6. Nouns in -dō.
a. Masculine: cardō, hinge; ōrdō, order.
46. Exceptions to the Rule for Neuters.
1. Nouns in -l.
a. Masculine: sōl, sun; sāl, salt.
2. Nouns in -n.
a. Masculine: pecten, comb.
3. Nouns in -ur.
a. Masculine: vultur, vulture.
4. Nouns in -ŭs.
a. Masculine: lepus, hare.
47. The following are the chief peculiarities of these: -
1. The ending -ă in the Accusative Singular; as, aetheră, aether; Salamīnă, Salamis.
2. The ending -ĕs in the Nominative Plural; as, Phrygĕs, Phrygians.
3. The ending -ăs in the Accusative Plural; as, Phrygăs, Phrygians.
4. Proper names in -ās (Genitive -antis) have -ā in the Vocative Singular; as, Atlās (Atlantis), Vocative Atlā, Atlas.
5. Neuters in -ma (Genitive -matis) have -īs instead of -ibus in the Dative and Ablative Plural; as, poēmatīs, poems.
6. Orpheus, and other proper names ending in -eus, form the Vocative Singular in -eu (Orpheu, etc.). But in prose the other cases usually follow the second declension; as, Orpheī, Orpheō, etc.
7. Proper names in -ēs, like Periclēs, form the Genitive Singular sometimes in -is, sometimes in -ī, as, Periclis or Periclī.
8. Feminine proper names in -ō have -ūs in the Genitive, but -ō in the other oblique cases; as, -
| Nom. | Didō | Acc. | Didō |
| Gen. | Didūs | Voc. | Didō |
| Dat. | Didō | Abl. | Didō |
9. The regular Latin endings often occur in Greek nouns.
[13] There is only one stem ending in -m: - hiems, hiemīs, winter.
[14] Mēnsis, month, originally a consonant stem (mēns-), has in the Genitive Plural both mēnsium and mēnsum. The Accusative Plural is mēnsēs.