Latin Lesson #42: Wrapping up Week 9

To get today started, take a look at this slideshow which features words from today's proverbs that you have seen before. There are some cats in there too. :-)

Now that you have re-visited some of those old sayings, here are the new sayings for today.

1. Nihil diu occultum.
Nothing (remains) hidden for long.
nihil diu oc-CUL-tum

You already know the words nihil and occultum.

The adverb diu, "long, for a long time" is related to the adjective diuturnus that you will see in the next saying.

The idea is that, sooner or later, everything gets uncovered. Compare the English saying: "The truth will out."

2. Nulla tempestas diuturna.
No storm (lasts) forever.
nulla tem-PES-tas diu-TUR-na

You already know the word nulla. It is a feminine adjective, agreeing with the feminine noun tempestas.

The third declension noun tempestas, "storm," can be seen in English "tempestuous."

The feminine adjective diuturna, "everlasting, lasting forever," is related to the adverb diu, which you saw above.

So, the idea is very similar to the previous saying: no things stays hidden for long, and no storm lasts forever. Just wait, and the storm will eventually blow over.

3. Mala gallina, malum ovum.
Bad hen, bad egg.
ma-la gal-LI-na, malum ovum

You know the adjectives mala (feminine) and malum (neuter), and you also know ovum already.

The feminine noun gallina, "chicken, hen," is related to the adjective you saw earlier gallinaceus in this saying: Lac gallinaceum.

The idea here is that something bad will result in yet more badness, like a chicken laying an egg. It's kind of like a negative take on "Like mother, like daughter."

4. Multum eloquentiae, sapientiae parum.
Much eloquence, little wisdom.
multum elo-QUEN-tiae, sapi-EN-tiae parum

You already know the words multum, eloquentia, and sapientia.

The neuter noun parum, "a small amount, little," is related to the adjective parv- that you've seen before in this saying: Parva avis, parvus nidus.

Notice how both multum and parum both take genitive complements: multum eloquentiae, "much (of) eloquence" and parum sapientiae, "small amount (of) wisdom."

The arrangement is chiastic, or criss-cross: ABBA. In the first genitive phrase, the genitive comes second (multum eloquentiae); in the second genitive phrase, the genitive comes first (sapientiae parum). This saves parum as a kind of surprise ending, like the punchline to a joke: you might expect someone who is very eloquent to also be very wise, but instead, it's just the opposite, not multum sapientiae but parum.

5. Asinus balneatoris numquam particeps balnei.
The bathkeeper's donkey never partakes of-(the)-bath.
A-sinus balnea-TO-ris numquam PAR-ticeps BAL-nei

You already know the words asinus and numquam.

The word balneatoris is the genitive of the third-declension noun balneator, "bath-master," referring to someone who is in charge of a bathhouse.

The third declension noun particeps, "sharer, partaker," is a compound: parti-ceps, part-taking, i.e. taking part in. These same Latin roots show up in English "participant."

The word balnei is the genitive of the second-declension noun balneum, "bath," which is the root of balneator. There is actually a technical term in English, "balneology," which is the study of baths and bathing.

The idea is that the poor donkey hauls wood and water for the people who are bathing, but the donkey himself never gets to take a bath. Compare the English saying, "The cobbler's children have no shoes."

Here's a recap:

1. Nihil diu occultum.
2. Nulla tempestas diuturna.
3. Mala gallina, malum ovum.
4. Multum eloquentiae, sapientiae parum.
5. Asinus balneatoris numquam particeps balnei.

And here is today's audio:



Plus the LOLCats!

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