{"id":616,"date":"2016-07-22T15:13:11","date_gmt":"2016-07-22T19:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/?post_type=chapter&p=616"},"modified":"2017-06-15T19:15:32","modified_gmt":"2017-06-15T23:15:32","slug":"26-latin-adjectives-1and2-declension-type","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/chapter\/26-latin-adjectives-1and2-declension-type\/","title":{"raw":"\u00a726. Latin Adjectives: 1st and 2nd Declension Type","rendered":"\u00a726. Latin Adjectives: 1st and 2nd Declension Type"},"content":{"raw":"

The basic Latin adjective that meant \u201cbig\u201d or \u201cgreat\u201d was a word with the base magn<\/b>-; the ending that followed this base depended on a variety of factors, including the gender of the noun to which the adjective was linked. A \u201cbig page\u201d was a Magna Charta<\/b>; a man known as \u201cCharles the Great\u201d\u2014we call him Charlemagne<\/i>\u2014had the Latin name of Carolus Magnus<\/b>; a \u201cbig work\u201d (the main achievement of one\u2019s life, perhaps) can be described in Latin as a magnum opus<\/b>. These are the three genders of the standard Latin adjective: magnus<\/b> (m.), magna<\/b>, (f.), and magnum<\/b> (n.). If it modifies a feminine noun, an adjective of this type will use first-declension endings; for example, when the adjective firmus<\/b>, firma<\/b>, firmum<\/b> is combined with the feminine noun terra<\/b>, it creates the phrase terra firma <\/b>(\u201cfirm earth\u201d). If attached to a masculine or neuter noun, an adjective of this type will use second-declension endings, as seen in the examples Caro<\/b>lus Magnus<\/b> and magnum opus <\/b>above.[footnote] The phrase magnum opus<\/strong> may help you remember that opus<\/strong> is a neuter noun. It also shows that a Latin adjective is not likely to rhyme with its noun if the noun belongs to a different declension.[\/footnote] For obvious reasons, then, this very common type is described as an adjective of the first and second declensions, or a 1ST AND 2ND DECLENSION ADJECTIVE.<\/p>\r\n

For the purposes of this course, we seldom have to worry about questions of Latin gender; and we can blissfully ignore all problems of adjective-noun agreement, a topic that creates some anguish for students of Latin grammar. It will be enough for us to know that most Latin adjectives belong to the same class as magnus<\/b>, magna<\/b>, magnum <\/b>and firmus<\/b>, firma<\/b>, firmum. <\/b>For the sake of brevity, we shall usually refer to words of this type simply as magnus<\/b> or firmus<\/b>, assuming the existence of feminine and neuter forms to match the masculine. IF A LATIN ADJECTIVE IS LISTED WITH THE ENDING -us<\/b>, YOU CAN BE CERTAIN THAT IT BELONGS TO THE 1ST ADN 2ND DECLENSION TYPE. As you would expect from the parallel nouns that we studied in chapter 2<\/a>, the base of these adjectives can be determined by removing the -us<\/b> ending.<\/p>\r\n

It is often possible to guess the meaning of a Latin adjective from obvious English clues. We have already met firmus <\/b>(\u201cfirm,\u201d \u201csteadfast\u201d), whose base provides the synonymous English derivative. The same principle applies to Latin adjectives like justus<\/b>, vastus<\/b>, solidus<\/b>, timidus<\/b>, validus<\/b>, and rotundus<\/b>. In meaning, these words may not exactly match their English derivatives, but the differences aren\u2019t worth worrying about. Occasionally, however, semantic changes have occurred\u2014the Latin word crispus<\/b>, for example, meant \u201ccurly-haired.\u201d If you know that Latin curtus<\/b> meant \u201cclipped\u201d or \u201cshortened,\u201d you may have a better feeling for the connotations of the English word curt<\/i>. Once in a while, appearances can be deceiving: Latin longus<\/b> is not the origin of English long<\/i>, which is a cognate word of Germanic descent.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Table 4.1 LATIN 1ST AND 2ND DECLENSION ADJECTIVES<\/strong><\/caption>\r\n
aequus<\/b><\/td>\r\neven, equal<\/td>\r\nmultus<\/b><\/td>\r\nmuch, many<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
bonus<\/b><\/b><\/td>\r\ngood<\/td>\r\npius<\/b><\/td>\r\ndutiful, good<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
justus<\/b><\/td>\r\nupright, just<\/td>\r\nplanus<\/b><\/td>\r\nlevel, flat<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
longus<\/b><\/td>\r\nlong<\/td>\r\nsanus<\/b><\/td>\r\nhealthy, sound<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
magnus<\/b><\/td>\r\nbig, great<\/td>\r\nsolus<\/b><\/td>\r\nalone, only, sole<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
malus<\/b><\/td>\r\nbad, evil<\/td>\r\nvacuus<\/b><\/td>\r\nempty<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
medius<\/b><\/td>\r\nmiddle<\/td>\r\nverus<\/b><\/td>\r\ntrue<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

For hundreds of years, students of Latin have been learning 1st and 2nd declension adjective forms from the model of bonus<\/b>, bona<\/b>, bonum<\/b> (bonus<\/b> -a<\/b> -um<\/b>), one of the commonest words in Latin. It is the origin of the corresponding adjective in the Romance Languages\u2014French bon<\/i>, Italian buono<\/i>, and Spanish bueno<\/i>. Its main derivatives in English, however, are two nouns\u2014bonus<\/i> and boon<\/i>. It is not uncommon for adjectives to evolve into nouns in this fashion. In English, as in Latin, we can refer to \u201cthe good\u201d as an abstract concept; the Latin phrase summum<\/i> bonum<\/i> (\u201cthe highest good\u201d) is sometimes used in English. Similarly, we can talk about a \u201chappy medium,<\/i>\u201d using another Latin adjective as a noun. A medium <\/i>may also be a physical substance \u201cin the middle,\u201d or a means of mass communication (plural, media)<\/i>, or a spiritualist who attempts contact with the dead. A magnum<\/i> can be a large (two-quart) bottle\u2014probably of champagne. Another example of the evolution of neuter adjective into noun can be seen in vacuum<\/i>, an \u201cempty space.\u201d[footnote] We often use this noun adjectivally in expressions like \u201cvacuum<\/em> cleaner\u201d and \u201cvacuum<\/em> bottle.\u201d English is a language where words can jump casually from one grammatical function (part of speech) to another without any change in form. The word home<\/em> is obviously a noun (\u201cmy old home<\/em>\u201d), but we use it as an adverb in \u201cI\u2019m going home<\/em>,\u201d and as an adjective in \u201chome<\/em> town\u201d or \u201chome<\/em> run.\u201d In highly inflected languages like Latin, words normally can\u2019t switch functions without some change in form.[\/footnote] This same Latin adjective has given us the English adjective vacuous.<\/i><\/p>\r\n

You will surely spot the connection between aequus<\/b> and English equal<\/i>, equity<\/i>, etc. Don\u2019t be puzzled by the change in spelling: it is a regular development for the Latin diphthong ae <\/b>to evolve into English e. <\/i>Problems can arise, however, when this change blurs the contrast between two distinct Latin words. In English spelling terms, there is no difference between the Latin adjective aequus<\/b> and the Latin noun equus<\/b> (\u201chorse\u201d), since both of them appear in our language with the base equ-. <\/i>If Julius Caesar should be suddenly brought back to life today, he might think that the mysterious English word equator<\/i> referred to a horseback rider, or that equidistant<\/i> meant that you had a cheap seat at the Kentucky Derby.<\/p>\r\n

<\/b>Solus<\/b> and sanus<\/b>, with their derivatives sole<\/i> and sane<\/i>, illustrate a fairly common type of morphological change, where the English word is the Latin base plus silent -e<\/i> (see \u00a714<\/a>, 3.a). Further examples are amplus<\/b>, curvus<\/b>, and pronus<\/b> (with its opposite, supinus<\/b>). The development of Latin sanus<\/b> to English sane<\/i> shows also a semantic change: the meaning has been specialized, since Latin sanus<\/b> involved both physical and mental health. The poet Juvenal said that all of us should pray for a healthy mind in a healthy body\u2014mens sana in corpore sano.<\/b><\/p>\r\n

Quite a few Latin adjectives ending in -ius<\/b> and -uus<\/b> have entered English as adjectives in -ious<\/i> and -uous<\/i>. Vacuus<\/b> > vacuous<\/i> is one case in point. Further examples include varius<\/b> > various<\/i>, pius<\/b> > pious<\/i> (and its opposite im-pius<\/b>[footnote] This is our first example of the negative PREFIX in-<\/strong>, of which we\u2019ll see much more later.[\/footnote] > impious)<\/i>, spurius<\/b> (originally, \u201cillegitimate\u201d) > spurious<\/i>, noxius<\/b> (\u201charmful\u201d) > noxious<\/i>, in-nocuus<\/b> > innocuous<\/i>, and strenuus<\/b> > strenuous<\/i>.<\/p>\r\n

As in the case of 2nd declension nouns in -us<\/b> (see \u00a713<\/a>), there is a small subtype of 1st and 2nd declension adjectives with -er<\/b> in the masculine singular:<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
liber, libera, liberum\r\n<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0free<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
miser, misera, miserum\r\n<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0wretched, miserable<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
pulc<\/b>her, pulchra, pulchrum\r\n<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0beautiful<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
sacer, sacra, sacrum\r\n<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0sacred<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
integer, integra, integrum\r\n<\/b><\/td>\r\n\u00a0untouched, whole<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Some of these, like liber<\/b> and miser<\/b>, keep the vowel -e<\/b>- in their base (and therefore in their English derivatives). Others drop the -e<\/b>-, having bases like pulchr<\/b>-, sacr<\/b>-, and integr<\/b>-. Notice that miser<\/i> and integer<\/i> are two English noun derivatives from this list. English sinister<\/i> is the masculine form of a Latin adjective that meant \u201cleft-handed\u201d; throughout human history, southpaws have always been abused linguistically.<\/p>\r\n ","rendered":"

The basic Latin adjective that meant \u201cbig\u201d or \u201cgreat\u201d was a word with the base magn<\/b>-; the ending that followed this base depended on a variety of factors, including the gender of the noun to which the adjective was linked. A \u201cbig page\u201d was a Magna Charta<\/b>; a man known as \u201cCharles the Great\u201d\u2014we call him Charlemagne<\/i>\u2014had the Latin name of Carolus Magnus<\/b>; a \u201cbig work\u201d (the main achievement of one\u2019s life, perhaps) can be described in Latin as a magnum opus<\/b>. These are the three genders of the standard Latin adjective: magnus<\/b> (m.), magna<\/b>, (f.), and magnum<\/b> (n.). If it modifies a feminine noun, an adjective of this type will use first-declension endings; for example, when the adjective firmus<\/b>, firma<\/b>, firmum<\/b> is combined with the feminine noun terra<\/b>, it creates the phrase terra firma <\/b>(\u201cfirm earth\u201d). If attached to a masculine or neuter noun, an adjective of this type will use second-declension endings, as seen in the examples Caro<\/b>lus Magnus<\/b> and magnum opus <\/b>above.[1]<\/sup><\/a> For obvious reasons, then, this very common type is described as an adjective of the first and second declensions, or a 1ST AND 2ND DECLENSION ADJECTIVE.<\/p>\n

For the purposes of this course, we seldom have to worry about questions of Latin gender; and we can blissfully ignore all problems of adjective-noun agreement, a topic that creates some anguish for students of Latin grammar. It will be enough for us to know that most Latin adjectives belong to the same class as magnus<\/b>, magna<\/b>, magnum <\/b>and firmus<\/b>, firma<\/b>, firmum. <\/b>For the sake of brevity, we shall usually refer to words of this type simply as magnus<\/b> or firmus<\/b>, assuming the existence of feminine and neuter forms to match the masculine. IF A LATIN ADJECTIVE IS LISTED WITH THE ENDING –us<\/b>, YOU CAN BE CERTAIN THAT IT BELONGS TO THE 1ST ADN 2ND DECLENSION TYPE. As you would expect from the parallel nouns that we studied in chapter 2<\/a>, the base of these adjectives can be determined by removing the –us<\/b> ending.<\/p>\n

It is often possible to guess the meaning of a Latin adjective from obvious English clues. We have already met firmus <\/b>(\u201cfirm,\u201d \u201csteadfast\u201d), whose base provides the synonymous English derivative. The same principle applies to Latin adjectives like justus<\/b>, vastus<\/b>, solidus<\/b>, timidus<\/b>, validus<\/b>, and rotundus<\/b>. In meaning, these words may not exactly match their English derivatives, but the differences aren\u2019t worth worrying about. Occasionally, however, semantic changes have occurred\u2014the Latin word crispus<\/b>, for example, meant \u201ccurly-haired.\u201d If you know that Latin curtus<\/b> meant \u201cclipped\u201d or \u201cshortened,\u201d you may have a better feeling for the connotations of the English word curt<\/i>. Once in a while, appearances can be deceiving: Latin longus<\/b> is not the origin of English long<\/i>, which is a cognate word of Germanic descent.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Table 4.1 LATIN 1ST AND 2ND DECLENSION ADJECTIVES<\/strong><\/caption>\n
aequus<\/b><\/td>\neven, equal<\/td>\nmultus<\/b><\/td>\nmuch, many<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
bonus<\/b><\/b><\/td>\ngood<\/td>\npius<\/b><\/td>\ndutiful, good<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
justus<\/b><\/td>\nupright, just<\/td>\nplanus<\/b><\/td>\nlevel, flat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
longus<\/b><\/td>\nlong<\/td>\nsanus<\/b><\/td>\nhealthy, sound<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
magnus<\/b><\/td>\nbig, great<\/td>\nsolus<\/b><\/td>\nalone, only, sole<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
malus<\/b><\/td>\nbad, evil<\/td>\nvacuus<\/b><\/td>\nempty<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
medius<\/b><\/td>\nmiddle<\/td>\nverus<\/b><\/td>\ntrue<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

For hundreds of years, students of Latin have been learning 1st and 2nd declension adjective forms from the model of bonus<\/b>, bona<\/b>, bonum<\/b> (bonus<\/b> –a<\/b> –um<\/b>), one of the commonest words in Latin. It is the origin of the corresponding adjective in the Romance Languages\u2014French bon<\/i>, Italian buono<\/i>, and Spanish bueno<\/i>. Its main derivatives in English, however, are two nouns\u2014bonus<\/i> and boon<\/i>. It is not uncommon for adjectives to evolve into nouns in this fashion. In English, as in Latin, we can refer to \u201cthe good\u201d as an abstract concept; the Latin phrase summum<\/i> bonum<\/i> (\u201cthe highest good\u201d) is sometimes used in English. Similarly, we can talk about a \u201chappy medium,<\/i>\u201d using another Latin adjective as a noun. A medium <\/i>may also be a physical substance \u201cin the middle,\u201d or a means of mass communication (plural, media)<\/i>, or a spiritualist who attempts contact with the dead. A magnum<\/i> can be a large (two-quart) bottle\u2014probably of champagne. Another example of the evolution of neuter adjective into noun can be seen in vacuum<\/i>, an \u201cempty space.\u201d[2]<\/sup><\/a> This same Latin adjective has given us the English adjective vacuous.<\/i><\/p>\n

You will surely spot the connection between aequus<\/b> and English equal<\/i>, equity<\/i>, etc. Don\u2019t be puzzled by the change in spelling: it is a regular development for the Latin diphthong ae <\/b>to evolve into English e. <\/i>Problems can arise, however, when this change blurs the contrast between two distinct Latin words. In English spelling terms, there is no difference between the Latin adjective aequus<\/b> and the Latin noun equus<\/b> (\u201chorse\u201d), since both of them appear in our language with the base equ-. <\/i>If Julius Caesar should be suddenly brought back to life today, he might think that the mysterious English word equator<\/i> referred to a horseback rider, or that equidistant<\/i> meant that you had a cheap seat at the Kentucky Derby.<\/p>\n

<\/b>Solus<\/b> and sanus<\/b>, with their derivatives sole<\/i> and sane<\/i>, illustrate a fairly common type of morphological change, where the English word is the Latin base plus silent –e<\/i> (see \u00a714<\/a>, 3.a). Further examples are amplus<\/b>, curvus<\/b>, and pronus<\/b> (with its opposite, supinus<\/b>). The development of Latin sanus<\/b> to English sane<\/i> shows also a semantic change: the meaning has been specialized, since Latin sanus<\/b> involved both physical and mental health. The poet Juvenal said that all of us should pray for a healthy mind in a healthy body\u2014mens sana in corpore sano.<\/b><\/p>\n

Quite a few Latin adjectives ending in –ius<\/b> and –uus<\/b> have entered English as adjectives in –ious<\/i> and –uous<\/i>. Vacuus<\/b> > vacuous<\/i> is one case in point. Further examples include varius<\/b> > various<\/i>, pius<\/b> > pious<\/i> (and its opposite im-pius<\/b>[3]<\/sup><\/a> > impious)<\/i>, spurius<\/b> (originally, \u201cillegitimate\u201d) > spurious<\/i>, noxius<\/b> (\u201charmful\u201d) > noxious<\/i>, in-nocuus<\/b> > innocuous<\/i>, and strenuus<\/b> > strenuous<\/i>.<\/p>\n

As in the case of 2nd declension nouns in –us<\/b> (see \u00a713<\/a>), there is a small subtype of 1st and 2nd declension adjectives with –er<\/b> in the masculine singular:<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
liber, libera, liberum
\n<\/b><\/td>\n		\u00a0free<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
miser, misera, miserum
\n<\/b><\/td>\n		\u00a0wretched, miserable<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
pulc<\/b>her, pulchra, pulchrum
\n<\/b><\/td>\n		\u00a0beautiful<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
sacer, sacra, sacrum
\n<\/b><\/td>\n		\u00a0sacred<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
integer, integra, integrum
\n<\/b><\/td>\n		\u00a0untouched, whole<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Some of these, like liber<\/b> and miser<\/b>, keep the vowel –e<\/b>– in their base (and therefore in their English derivatives). Others drop the –e<\/b>-, having bases like pulchr<\/b>-, sacr<\/b>-, and integr<\/b>-. Notice that miser<\/i> and integer<\/i> are two English noun derivatives from this list. English sinister<\/i> is the masculine form of a Latin adjective that meant \u201cleft-handed\u201d; throughout human history, southpaws have always been abused linguistically.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

  1. The phrase magnum opus<\/strong> may help you remember that opus<\/strong> is a neuter noun. It also shows that a Latin adjective is not likely to rhyme with its noun if the noun belongs to a different declension. ↵<\/a><\/li>
  2. We often use this noun adjectivally in expressions like \u201cvacuum<\/em> cleaner\u201d and \u201cvacuum<\/em> bottle.\u201d English is a language where words can jump casually from one grammatical function (part of speech) to another without any change in form. The word home<\/em> is obviously a noun (\u201cmy old home<\/em>\u201d), but we use it as an adverb in \u201cI\u2019m going home<\/em>,\u201d and as an adjective in \u201chome<\/em> town\u201d or \u201chome<\/em> run.\u201d In highly inflected languages like Latin, words normally can\u2019t switch functions without some change in form. ↵<\/a><\/li>
  3. This is our first example of the negative PREFIX in-<\/strong>, of which we\u2019ll see much more later. ↵<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":20,"menu_order":2,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"Chapter 4: Simple Latin Adjectives","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[52],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-616","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":580,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2077,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/616\/revisions\/2077"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/580"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/616\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=616"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=616"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}