Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #69: Second-Declension Accusative

Something new for today! It is now time for the accusative form of those 2nd-declension nouns, and just like for the 1st-declension, the singular accusative ending is -m, but this time the theme vowel is -u-, which gives the ending -um.

Easy, right? Here are the 2nd-declension accusative nouns you will see in today's sayings:

vir (man): virum
animus (spirit, mind): animum
agnus (lamb): agnum
oculus (eye): oculum
somnus (sleep): somnum

You'll notice that sometimes 2nd-declension masculine nouns can end in -r (instead of -us) to which the endings are added directly. That's what's going on with nominative vir, which gives genitive vir-i, and accusative vir-um. The other 2nd-declension nouns and adjectives ending in -r that you've seen so far are: asper, faber, furcifer, liber, magister, puer, and pulcher. They are not exactly common, but they are not rare either.

Another thing I wanted to point out today is the way that proverbs are not monolithic. Instead, they represent a range of opinions; proverbs can even contradict one another. So, for example, today you have this saying: Vestis virum facit, "Clothes make the man." (Compare Polonius in Shakespeare's Hamlet: "The apparel oft proclaims the man.") And of course, that's true... sometimes; fine clothes can make a fine impression. But there are plenty of proverbs in Latin about how clothing is, at best, superficial and, at worst, a deceptive disguise; for example: Vestimentum non facit monachum, "Clothing does not make the monk" (i.e. just because someone wears a monk's habit doesn't mean he has a religious vocation), and Simia est simia, etiam si purpura vestiatur, "A monkey is a monkey, even if dressed in purple" (i.e. in royal robes). And here's a fun rhyming one: In vestimentis non est sapientia mentis, "In clothing that is fine there is no wisdom of mind" (I added the "fine" to make the rhyme work in English).

So, the more proverbs you learn, the better. Each proverb offers its own perspective on the world.

To get ready for today's new sayings, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

And here are the sayings:

1. Vestis virum facit.
Clothes make the man.
vestis virum facit.

The noun vestis, "clothing, clothes" can be seen in English "vestment." This is also the root of "invest."

The accusative virum is from the masculine noun vir.

Notice the nice sound play of v... v...: Vestis virum.

2. Cura angit animum.
Worry squeezes the spirit.
cura angit animum.

The verb angit means "squeezes, draws tight," even "strangles." By metaphorical extension, it also means to cause distress, to trouble, torment. This is the root of English "anxiety."

The accusative animum is from the masculine noun, animus.

This saying also has sound-play, a...a...: angit-animum. Compare another saying you saw about worrying: Cura curam trahit., which also has some word-play, cura-curam.

3. Lupus agnum vorat.
Wolf eats lamb.
lupus agnum vorat.

The noun lupus, "wolf," can be seen in English "lupine."

The accusative agnum is from the masculine noun agnus, "lamb." You may already know this phrase from Christian Latin: Agnus Dei, "Lamb of God." Find out more at Wikipedia: Agnus Dei.

This saying expresses the idea that it's the nature of wolves to eat lambs, and it's the nature of lambs to be eaten. There is a famous Aesop's fable in which a lamb argues with a wolf, but in the end... the wolf eats the lamb.

4. Nemo videt oculum suum.
Nobody sees their-own eye.
nemo videt O-culum suum.

The verb videt, "sees," gives us English "video."

The accusative oculum is from the masculine noun oculus.
The adjective suum, "one's own," is also masculine accusative, agreeing with oculum.

This proverb expresses a very nice paradox: you see with your eyes... but you cannot see your own eye. (Of course, you can use a mirror... but still: you get the idea!)

5. Endymionis somnum dormit.
(Someone) is-sleeping (the) sleep of-Endymion.
Endymi-O-nis somnum dormit.

The genitive Endymionis is from the 3rd-declension noun Endymion, which is a name from Greek mythology. (Remember: the genitive ending for the 3rd declension is -is.)

The accusative somnum is from the masculine noun somnus.
Here's a quick explanation of who Endymion was and why he became proverbial for sleeping deeply: Selene, the Moon-Goddess, fell in love with Endymion, who was a mortal man; she begged Zeus to make Endymion immortal; to oblige Selene, Zeus put Endymion into eternal sleep so that he would never die, and that is why Selene is able to visit her lover every night, even now. You can find out more about this myth at Wikipedia: Endymion.

Here's a recap: