Nouns of all standard types, together with bos, domus, Iuppiter and vis
Nouns of Standard Types
- Latin nouns are categorised into five declensions, identified by the endings they take in different cases.
- Every noun belongs to a gender - masculine, feminine or neuter, usually determined by the termination of the dictionary form. Exceptions need to be remembered as individual cases.
- Each noun has different noun cases, including nominative (the subject of the sentence), accusative (the direct object), genitive (showing possession), dative (indirect object), ablative (many uses, but often indicates means or manner), and the vocative (used in direct address).
- Nouns take a singular or plural form depending on their context in the sentence.
Bos, Domus, Iuppiter, and Vis
- Bos: An irregular third-declension noun with neuter qualities. In the nominative singular, it’s 'bos', in the accusative singular, it’s 'bovem', and in the plural, it’s 'boves'. The gender can be either masculine or feminine depending on context.
- Domus: This noun is mainly of the second declension but uses some fourth-declension endings, especially in the plural. It takes locative case 'domi' meaning 'at home'.
- Iuppiter: Patriarch of Roman gods, this word is an irregular contraction of the old nominative form, 'Iovis Pater'. It uses 'Iov-' root for genitive, dative and accusative case, but 'Iupp-' for nominative and vocative case, making it one of the unpredictable nouns in basic declension patterns.
- Vis: A semi-deponent third-declension noun for 'strength' or 'force'. The nominative/accusative/vocative singular do not end in -s or -m, simply 'vis'. The plural forms are regular third declension (e.g., 'vires', 'virium').
Remember to engage in regular practice to ensure you remember the varied declensions and specifics of each noun type.