Sunday, October 19, 2025

05.01.26: Comenius CV; Geometry; text and vocabulary [1]

Geometrie (geometry) │ geōmetria

A geometrician measureth the height of a tower, or the distance of places, either with a quadrant, or a Jacob’s-staff. │ Geōmetra mētītur altitūdinem turris, aut distantiam locōrum, sīve quadrante, sīve radiō.

He maketh out the figures of things, with lines, angles, and circles, by a rule, a square, and a pair of compasses. │ Dēsignat figūrās rērum līneīs, angulīs, & circulīs, ad rēgulam, normam, & circinum.

Out of these arise an oval, a triangle, a quadrangle, and other figures. │ Ex hīs oriuntur cylindrus, trigōnus, tetragōnus, & aliæ figūræ.

Geometrie (geometry) │ geōmetria

A geometrician measureth the height of a tower, … │ Geōmetra mētītur altitūdinem turris

He maketh out the figures of things, … │ Dēsignat figūrās rērum

[1] geōmetria, -ae [1/f]: geometry < Anc. Gk. γεωμετρία [geōmetría]: land survey

geōmetrēs, -ae [1/m]; geometra, -ae [1/m]: geometrician

mētior, -īrī, mēnsus / mētītus (post-CL)  sum [4/deponent]: measure

dēsignō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: (here) mark; indicate; outline; Engl. deriv. design 

[2] altitūdō, altitūdinis [3/f]: [i] height; [ii] depth < altus, -a, -um: high; deep

Related words:

lātitudō, lātitūdinis [3/f]: width < lātus, -a, -um: wide

longitūdō, longitūdinis [3/f]: length < longus, -a, -um: long

magnitūdō, magnitūdinis [3/f]: size; greatness; a large number; magnitude < magnus, -a, -um: big; great; magnitūdō does not refer to a specific geometrical measure, but is commonly found in the literature

Note:

[i] the genitive singular of 3rd declension nouns is not always a shot in the dark; there are certain endings which [1] always change in the same way and [2] are always the same gender: -tūdō / -tūdinis [3/feminine] is one of them

[ii] Similarly, nouns ending in -tās [1] have a genitive singular in -tātis and [2] are always feminine

brevitās, brevitātis [3/f]: shortness (of space or time); shortness of stature < brevis, -e: short

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Quotations

"Līnea est," inquit, "longitūdō quaedam sine lātitūdine et altitūdine" (Gellius) │ A line is," he says, "a certain length without width and height."

Flūminis erat altitūdō pedum circiter trium (Caesar)  The depth of the river was about three feet.

Aenēās urbem dēsignat arātrō (Vergil) │ Aeneas marks out the city with a plough



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