In vocabulary lists and dictionaries, the declension of a noun is usually given by the inclusion of [i] the nominative singular and [ii] the genitive singular endings, for example:
puella [nominative
singular], puellae [genitive singular]
That may be abbreviated
to -ae: puella, -ae
Nouns that undergo
a stem change are usually written in full in the genitive singular:
puer, -ī
(no stem change) | ager, agrī (stem change)
canis, -is (no
stem change) | corpus, corporis (stem change)
The reason for its
inclusion is that, while a nominative case ending may refer to different
declensions, the genitive singular endings are unique to specific declensions.
The three nouns
below end in -us in the nominative singular, but they belong to different declensions.
servus; corpus;
portus
There is no way of
knowing to which declension they belong. However, by listing the genitive case
ending, the declensions are clear:
servus, -ī:
2nd declension; only 2nd declension nouns have a
genitive singular in -ī
corpus, corporis:
3rd declension; only 3rd declension nouns have a
genitive singular in -is
portus, -ūs:
4th declension; ; only 4th declension nouns have a
genitive singular in -ūs
[1] 1st
declension
[i] The vast
majority of 1st declension nouns are feminine. However, there are
some which are masculine, for example agricola (farmer), nauta
(sailor); those masculine nouns usually refer to an occupation that was
traditionally associated with males.
Wiktionary
provides a list of 1st declension masculine nouns, but most of these
are very rare:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Latin_masculine_nouns_in_the_first_declension
[ii] The dative
and ablative plural of fīlia (daughter) and dea (goddess) are
fīliābus and deābus to distinguish them from the dative and
ablative plural of fīlius (son) and deus (god) i.e. fīliīs and
deīs.
[2] 2nd
declension: -us
[i] This is the
only table that lists the vocative case as a separate entry. The
vocative case has a separate ending only for 2nd declension singular
masculine nouns ending in –(i)us. In the plural and in all other declensions
the vocative singular is the same as the nominative singular, the vocative plural
the same as the nominative plural. Do not be misled by some declension tables
that list a vocative for every declension because all they are doing is simply
repeating the nominative case forms.
[ii] The vast majority
of 2nd declension nouns in -us are masculine although there
are some that are feminine for example: pīnus (pine tree), cerasus (cherry
tree), humus (ground)
Wiktionary
provides a list of 2nd declension feminine nouns in -us but
most of these are very rare:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Latin_feminine_nouns_in_the_second_declension
[3] 2nd
declension: -(e)r
[i] These nouns
have the same ending as 2nd declension in -us apart from the
nominative singular that ends in -r: ager (field), puer (boy), vir (man)
[ii] Those which
end in -er can be divided into two categories:
(1) the /e/ of the
nominative singular is lost when endings are added: ager > agrī
(2) the /e/ of the nominative singular is retained when endings are added: puer > puerī
[4] 2nd
declension: -um
[i] 2nd
declension nouns in -um are neuter.
[ii] Neuter nouns –
in all declensions – have the same endings for (1) the nominative and
accusative singular and (2) the nominative and accusative plural.
[5] 3rd
declension (1)
[i] 3rd
declension nouns occur in all three genders.
[ii] The
nominative singular of all 3rd declension nouns of all
genders have a range of endings, for example:
nox: night;
mīles: soldier; canis: dog; corpus: body; nōmen:
name
[iii] Masculine
and feminine nouns have the same endings.
[iv] Neuter nouns
have the same endings as the masculine and feminine with the following two exceptions:
The accusative
singular is always the same as the nominative singular whatever form the
nominative singular takes.
The nominative and
accusative plural both have the ending -a.
[v] A very large
number of 3rd declension nouns undergo a stem change before
the endings are added, for example:
[a] masculine /
feminine
nox > noctis;
the stem is noct- and, apart from the nominative singular, it is used in
all other forms of the noun
mīles > mīlitis;
stem: mīlit-
[b] The same
applies to neuter nouns:
corpus > corporis;
stem: corpor-
nōmen > nōminis;
stem: nōmin-
The neuter
accusative, however, will be the same as the nominative singular (see note
[iv] above) .
[vi] These stem changes are not entirely random; there are ways in which the stem change can be predicted and are discussed in depth on the site. However, as mentioned in the introduction, be sure to learn these nouns with the genitive case singular because it is that case which is used to indicate the stem changes.
[6] 3rd
declension (2) i-stem nouns
[i] The distinguishing
features of i-stem nouns are:
[a] masculine /
feminine
these have an
additional -i- in the genitive plural: urbium
[b] neuter
nominative /
accusative plural in -ia
genitive plural in
-ium
ablative singular
in -ī
[iii] i-stem
masculine / feminine nouns have an alternative accusative plural in -īs:
nominative plural:
hostēs
accusative plural:
hostēs / hostīs
[iv] Identifying
i-stem nouns:
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/030324-review-of-3rd-declensions-nouns.html
[v] The ablative singular in -e or -ī can vary in original literature.
[7] 4th
declension
[i] Note the
similarities between 4th declension masculine / feminine nouns and
masculine 2nd declension nouns; both have a nominative in -us,
and both have an accusative in -um. Again, it is the genitive singular
that distinguishes them when learning:
(1) 2nd
declension masculine
nominative
singular: -us
genitive singular:
-ī
dominus, -ī
(master); 2nd declension
(2) 4th
declension masculine and feminine
nominative
singular: -us
genitive singular:
-ūs
manus, -ūs
[4]: hand; 4th declension
[ii] Neuter 4th declension nouns are distinctive in that their nominative singular ends in -ū.
[8] 5th
declension
The only distinction
in endings in the two forms listed is in the genitive and dative singular.
A noun whose stem
ends in a consonant has a short -e- in the endings: r¦eī
A noun whose stem ends in a vowel has a long -e- in the ending: di¦ēī
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