Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #116: 3rd Declension Stem and Ending

The focus for today's lesson is using the genitive form of 3rd declension nouns and adjectives to find the stem, and then to be able to recognize the accusative form. With the 1st and 2nd declension, you can confidently form the accusative from the nominative form, but not so the 3rd declension.

And where do you find the genitive form of a 3rd-declension noun or adjective? It's in the dictionary! The standard practice is to list the nominative and the genitive form, along with the gender. That is the core information you need to generate the other forms of the word. Just remove the -is from the genitive, and you have the stem.

So, for example, here are five 3rd-declension nouns from today's sayings with links to my one of favorite online Latin dictionaries: Wiktionary (at Wikipedia). If you are going to be reading Latin, it's a good idea to get familiar with this resource. The Wiktionary is especially good for etymological information and also paradigms that show all the word endings. So, take a few minutes to click on some of these links and look at the dictionary entries:

pellis (gen. pellis): Wiktionary. stem: pell-
labor (gen. laboris): Wiktionary. stem: labor-
aestas (gen. aestatis): Wiktionary. stem: aestat-
fustis (gen. fustis): Wiktionary. stem: fust-
foetor (gen. foetoris): Wiktionary. stem: foetor-

So, in today's sayings, you will see each of those words in the accusative form, with an -em ending. Just add that ending to the stem and you get the accusative form: pellis in the accusative becomes pellem, and so on.

And here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

So, here are today's proverbs:

1. Leoninam pellem indue.
Don (the) lion skin.
leo-NI-nam pellem IN-due.

The word leoninam is the accusative form of the 1st-declension adjective, leonina, which gives us English "leonine." The feminine accusative adjective agrees with the feminine accusative noun, pellem.

You've seen another version of this saying which uses the noun leo instead of the adjective: Leonis pellem indue. The reference here is to the way that the hero Hercules wore a lion's skin. So, if you have a difficult task in front of you, put on your lion skin, just like Hercules, and get to work!

2. Revocat aurora laborem.
Dawn revives work.
RE-vocat au-RO-ra la-BO-rem.

The verb revocat, "revives, recalls, summons again," is a compound re-vocat, "back-calls." You've seen a related adjective: revocabile.

The subject of the verb is aurora, "dawn," which is a word we also use in English: "aurora."

The word laborem is the accusative form of the noun labor, and it is the object of the verb.

The idea is that with dawn comes the beginning of the day, which means the beginning of the work day as well.

3. Una hirundo non facit aestatem.
One swallow doesn't make (a) summer.
una hi-RUN-do non facit aes-TA-tem.

You've seen all the words in this saying because you already know this saying: Aestatis hirundo est nuntia, "The swallow is summer's messenger."

The word aestatem is the accusative form of the noun aestas, and it is the object of the verb.

Note the feminine adjective una; it is feminine because the noun hirundo is feminine.

Compare the English saying, "One swallow does not a summer make." A fuller version of the saying in English explains how the saying is about more than just the bird: "One swallow does not make a summer, neither does one fine day." So, just as one swallow's arrival is not enough to confirm the end of winter, so too a single day's warm weather does not mean there will not be another freeze.

4. Asinus esuriens fustem neglegit.
(The) hungry donkey ignores (the) cudgel.
A-sinus e-SU-riens fustem NEG-legit.

The word fustem is the accusative form of the noun fustis, "cudgel," and it is the object of the verb. You can see this root in the English word "fustigate."

The 3rd-declension adjective esuriens, "hungry" is masculine, agreeing with asinus, the subject of the verb. You can see this root in English "esurient."

The idea is that when a donkey is hungry, that's all that matters; he's not going to respond to the cudgel. So, if he is grazing in the meadow or feeding in the barn, you can beat him all you want, but the donkey is not going to move. People can act the same way too, depending on what they are "hungry" for.

5. Reddit foetorem stercus motum graviorem.
Manure (when it is) moved gives-forth (a) worse stench.
reddit foe-TO-rem stercus motum gravi-O-rem.

The 3rd-declension neuter noun, stercus, "manure, dung," is a word that is new to you, but you've seen a related word: sterculinum.

The adjective motum, "moved," is neuter, agreeing with the noun stercus, the subject of the verb. You already know the verb that this adjective (participle) comes from: movet, "moved."

The verb reddit, "gives back, returns, yields," is a compound: re(d)-dit, "back-gives, give back." You know the root verb already: dat, "gives."

The word foetorem is the accusative form of foetor, a 3rd-declension noun (sometimes spelled fetor), meaning "stink." You can see this same root in English "fetid."

The word graviorem is the accusative form of gravior, a 3rd-declension adjective, "heavier." It is the comparative form of the adjective gravis, "heavy." You can see this root in both the English adjective "grave" and the noun "gravity."

Notice how the accusative noun phrase foetorem ... graviorem wraps around the nominative noun phrase: stercus motum.

This saying is literally true, and also metaphorically true: there's a lot of stirring up of manure in the world far away from actual farms and farm animals.

Here's a recap: