Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #72: Implied Verbs

Now that you've gotten used to the nominative case and the accusative case, subject and object, I want to show you a special kind of Latin sentence where the verb is implied: you've got the subject, and you've got the object — and that's all you need! You'll see two examples of proverbs like that in today's post.

But first, here's a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

So, here are today's proverbs:

1. Capra gladium.
(The) goat (found the) sword.
capra GLA-dium.

The feminine noun capra means "goat," and there is a masculine form also, caper. You can see this root in "Capricorn," the sign of the horned goat (capri-corn).

The word gladium is the accusative of gladius, "sword," which you have seen before.

So, you've got the subject, capra, and the object, gladium, and the implied verb is: found!

To understand how that works, you need to know the story that gives rise to this saying: there was a goat who was going to be sacrificed, but the priest could not find the sacrificial knife. Then the foolish goat, who was jumping and kicking and stirring up the dirt, uncovered that knife (some versions of the saying have the word knife, some have sword)... and so she was sacrificed after all.

Result: the proverb refers to someone who is their own worst enemy! This saying appears in other English languages also; for example, in Spanish: Escarbó el gallo, y descubrió el cuchillo, "The rooster scraped (the ground) and uncovered the knife."

2. Cornix scorpium.
(The) crow (grabbed a) scorpion.
cornix SCOR-pium.

The word scorpium is the accusative form of scorpius which gives us English "scorpion."

You've seen cornix before, the "she-crow," and that gives you the subject, and scorpium is the object... and the implied verb this time is "seized" or "grabbed."

This proverb also alludes to a story: a foolish crow grabbed onto a scorpion, thinking it would be something tasty to eat... but the scorpion twisted around and killed her. It's one of those sayings about how someone who plots evil for another may turn out to be the victim of their own scheme.

3. Corvus oculum corvi non eruit.
(A) crow doesn't pluck (another) crow's eye.
corvus O-culum corvi non E-ruit.

Here you see the masculine noun corvus, "he-crow," and you also see the genitive form, corvi. You can see this root in English "corvid."

The verb eruit, "casts out, rips out," is a compound: e(x)-ruit. You've seen the verb ruit before, which here has the sense of ripping rather than rushing or falling.

This proverb is like one you've seen before: Lupus lupum non edit.

4. Non tonsura facit monachum.
(The) tonsure doesn't make (a) monk
non ton-SU-ra facit MO-nachum.

The feminine noun tonsura gives us English "tonsure."

The saying is like the one you saw yesterday: Habitus non facit monachum.

This is a word order you have not seen before; usually non goes before the verb, but as you can see here, even that is not a fixed rule. This saying puts non in a strongly emphatic position, right at the start of the sentence.

5. Lupus pilum mutat, non animum.
(A) wolf changes (his) coat, not (his) mind.
Lupus pilum mutat, non A-nimum.

The word pilum is the accusative form of pilus, "hair, fur, coat." You can see this root in English "depilatory."
The verb mutat, "changes," gives us English "mutation."

The reference here is to the way some wolves change their coat for the winter, both for camouflage and for warmth. They may look different outside... but they are not different inside: they are still wolves!

Here's a recap: