(Cf. Wheelock 14)
The first table below indicates the relationships among various third-declension noun-patterns. The second table gives the examples, fully declined.
Within the whole set (of third-declension nouns), there are TWO major subsets:
(1) masculine and feminine nouns
(2) neuter nouns
Each of these subsets has two subsets: regulars and i-stems, so that the whole group can be broken down as
(1) masculine and feminine nouns
(a) regulars, like mater
(b) i-stems, like dêns or nûbes
(2) neuter nouns
(a) regulars, like tempus
(b) i-stems, like mare, animal, or exemplar
~ All Third-Declension Nouns ~ |
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(1) MASCULINE & FEMININE
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(2) NEUTER
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(b) I-STEMSm. and f. Often: (1) Parisyllabics in -is / -ês like nûbês, nûbis (2) M/F monosyllabics ending in -s / -x with TWO consonants before the -is of the genitive singular, like dêns, deNTis / nox, noCTis. |
(b) I-STEMSneut. Often: Neuters of the third declension ending in -e / -al / -ar like mare / animal / exemplar. |
The same chart with examples. Notice that the masculine and femine i-stems of the third declension have only ONE change, the neuters FOUR, as highlighted below:
(1) MASCULINE & FEMININE
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(2) NEUTER
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(a) REGULARSm. and f.
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(a) REGULARSneut.
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(b) I-STEMSm. and f.
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(b) I-STEMSneut.
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NOTA BENE:
1. The masculine and feminine i-stems show only ONE change, namely, -ium instead of -um in the genitive plural.
2. Only a very, very few nouns have an -î for the usual -e in the ablative singular: the NEUTER i-stems of the third declension.
3. In some medieval orthography, e and i are interchanged, so that a third-declension dative could sometimes be written with a final -e , but in classical texts, you will almost never see an -e indicating a dative case.
4. You will occasionally see, however, an -i indicating an ablative for a third declension noun, as indicated in the second note just above. Of course -i is a typical third-declension adjectival ablative singular ending. See also the page on Third-Declension Patterns and the Synoptic Comparative Chart of Third-Declension Patterns.
Latin Teaching Materials at Saint Louis University: © Claude Pavur 1997 - 2009. This material is being made freely available for non-commercial educational use.
