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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).

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

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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

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Pēnelopē, -ēs f. Circē, -ēs/-ae f. Aenēās, -ae m. Leōnidās, -ae m. Anchīsēs, -ae m. Alcīdēs, -ae
Hercules m.
Nominative Pēnelopē Circē Aenēās -ās Leōnidās -ās Anchīsēs -ēs Alcīdēs -ēs
Vocative Aenēā
(-a)

(-a)
Leōnidā
(-a)

(-a)
Anchīsē
(-a)
(-ā)

(-a)
(-ā)
Alcīdē
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)

(-ā)
Circē
(-ā)

(-ā)
Aenēā Leōnidā Anchīsā Alcīdē
(-ā)

(-ā)

Declension of nouns

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nymphē, -ae f.
nympha
comētēs, -ae m.
comet, meteor
xiphiās, -ae m.
swordfish
Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative nymphē
(-a)

(-a)
nymphae -ae comētēs
(-a)
-ēs
(-a)
cometae -ae xiphiās
(-a)
-ās
(-a)
xiphiae -ae
Vocative comētē
(-a)

(-a)
xiphiā
(-a)

(-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)

(-ā)
comētē
(-ā)

(-ā)
xiphiā

Second declension

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Declension of proper names

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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 Androgeū
(-e)

(-e)
Accusative Īlion
(-um)
-on
(-um)
Panthūn
(-um)
-ūn
(-um)
Androgeō
Androgeōn
Androgeōna
(-um)

-ōn
-ōna
(-um)
Genitive Īliī Panthī Androgeī
Dative Īliō Panthō Androgeō
Ablative

Declension of nouns

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atomos/-us, -ī f.
atom
phaenomenon/-um, -ī n.
phaenomenon
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative atomos
(-us)
-os
(-us)
atomī phaenomenon
(-um)
-on
(-um)
phaenomena -a
Vocative atome -e
Accusative atomon
(-um)
-on
(-um)
atomōs -ōs phaenomenōs -ōs
Genitive atomī atomōrum -ōrum phaenomenī phaenomenōrum -ōrum
Dative atomō atomīs -īs phaenomenō phaenomenīs -īs
Ablative

Third declension

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Declension of proper names

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Solōn/Solō, -ōnis m. Xenophōn, -ntis m. Atlās, -ntis m. Paris, -idis/-idos m. Thalēs, -is/-ētis m.
Nominative Solōn
Solō
-ōn
Xenophōn -ōn Ātlās -ās Paris -is Thalēs -ēs
Vocative Solōn -ōn Ātlā Pari
(-is)
-i
(-is)
Thalē
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
Ablative Solōne -ōne Xenophōnte -ōnte Ātlante -ante Paride -ide Thalē

Declension of nouns

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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 āeribus -ibus hērōī hērōibus -ibus haeresei
(-ī)
-ei
haeresibus -ibus
Ablative āere -e hērōe -e haeresei
(-e)
(-ī)
-ei
(-e)
(-ī)

Fourth declension

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Declension of nouns

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ēchō, -ūs f.
echo
Singular Plural
Nominative ēchō ēchūs -ūs
Vocative
Accusative ēchum -um
Genitive ēchūs -ūs ēchuum -uum
Dative ēchuī -uī ēchibus -ibus
Ablative ēchū

Mixed declension

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Declension of proper names

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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
Vocative Orphēū -ēū Oedipus -us Achillēs
Achille
Achillē
Achillēī
-ēs
-e

-ēī
Sōcratē
Sōcrates

-es
Accusative Orphea
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
Genitive Orpheus
Orphēī
-eus
-ēī
Athō
Athōnis

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

-is
Sōcratī
Sōcratis

-is
Dīdūs
Dīdōnis
-ūs
-ōnis
Dative Orpheō -eō Athō Oedipodī -odī Achillī Sōcratī Dīdō
Dīdōnī

-ōnī
Ablative Athōne -ōne Oedipode
Oedipō
-ode
Achille
Achillē
Achillī
-e

Sōcrate -e Dīdō
Dīdōne

-ōne

References

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  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.