03.04.25: Level 2; Review military vocabulary [3]; 3rd declension nouns; patterns

[1]

Knowing what the genitive singular of third declension nouns is not entirely a shot in the dark; there are patterns. Patterns do not apply to every noun in the declension but there are certain endings to look out for which will always have the same genitive case. Some examples came up in the military vocabulary in the previous post:

[i]

imperātor, imperātōris [3/m]: commander

-(t)or > -ōris

[ii]

legiō, legiōnis [3/f]: legion

statiō, statiōnis [3/f]: outpost

-(t)iō > -(t)iōnis

This ending occurs in hundreds of English derivatives, and the creation of the derivative follows a pattern:

Latin nominative: statiō

Latin accusative: accusative: statiōn¦em

> Anglo-Norman: estation i.e. the /n/ of the accusative stem is retained but the accusative ending /em/ itself is lost

> Middle English: stacioun

> Modern English: station

[iii]

certāmen, certāminis [3/n]: contest

-en > -inis

[2] The nouns above are created with the use of suffixes:

[i] imperator; also nouns ending in -sor

[ii] legiō; statiō

[iii] certāmen

Apart from those suffixes always declining in the same way, they will always have the same gender:

[i]

imperātor, imperātōris [3/masculine]: commander

Similarly:

senātor, senātōris [3/masculine]: member of the Roman Senate; senator

lūsor, lūsōris [3/masculine]: player

[ii]

statiō, statiōnis [3/feminine]: outpost

Similarly:

nātiō, nātiōnis [3/feminine]: birth; nation

[iii]

certāmen, certāminis [3/neuter]: contest

Similarly:

carmen, carminis [3/neuter]: song

Exercise

What is [i] the genitive singular and [ii] the gender of the following nouns?

1. agmen, __________ [3/__]: column of soldiers
2. ambitiō, __________ [3/__]: excessive desire to please; desire for honour
3. cursor, __________ [3/__]: runner
4. flūmen, __________ [3/__]: river
5. fūlmen, __________ [3/__]: lightning
6. gladiātor, __________ [3/__]: gladiator
7. lūmen, __________ [3/__]: light
8. obsidiō, __________ [3/__]: siege
9. oppugnātiō, __________ [3/__]: attack
10. ratiō, __________ [3/__]: reason
11. rebelliō, __________ [3/__]: revolt
12. religiō, __________ [3/__]: religious observance
13. scrīptor, __________ [3/__]: writer
14. tōnsor, __________ [3/__]: hairdresser
15. volūmen, __________ [3/__]: scroll