Nômina Dêminûtîva Latîna


	“Latin Diminutives” General Rules for Diminutives in Latin Some general rules for diminutives in Latin are: The default gender-termination designations are: masculine diminutives are declined like bonus, feminine diminutives are declined like bona, and neuter diminutives are declined like bonum. There are situations when these designations do not apply (e.g. scurrula, which is masculine). The diminutive usually agrees with its primitive in terms of gender, number, and case. Exceptions are rare: masculine diminutive rānunculus from feminine primitive rāna. When a primitive is of the first or second declension, the diminutive takes the declension of its primitive. So, scurrula is of the first declension because its primitive, scurra, is also of the first declension. When a primitive is of the first or second declension, and it is declined like bonus, bona, or bonum, then its diminutive takes the same termination. So, scurrula ends with -a because scurra does also (both words are masculine). When a primitive is of the third, fourth, or fifth declension, then its diminutive takes the default gender-termination designation explained above. So, the diminutive flōsculus ends with -us because its primitive, flōs, is masculine; the diminutive uxorcula ends with -a because its primitive, uxor, is feminine; the diminutive corpusculum ends with -um because its primitive, corpus, is neuter. When the diminutive base ul- appears immediately after a vowel (especially e, i, or vocalic u), it becomes ol-, but the ul- stays as ul- after non-vocalic u (e.g. u in qu). Moreover, the ul- sometimes becomes ol- before v. So, diminutive gladiolus, not gladiulus, from primitive gladius; diminutive aquula, not aquola, from diminutive aqua; diminutives parvulus and parvolus, from primitive parvus. A diminutive may be created by treating its primitive and any one of the three diminutive bases cul-, cell-, or cill- as a stem compound. The first part is a combining form of the primitive, which follows the usual procedures for the first parts of Latin stem compounds. But fifth-declension words use ē before cul-, cell-, or cill- instead of i. So, diminutive macriculus from primitive macer (combining form macri-). Diminutives and Diminutive Bases General Rules for Diminutives in Latin Procedures for Forming Diminutives First Declension Second Declension Third Declension, I- and Ī-Stems Third Declension, Mute Consonant Stems Third Declension, L-, R-, S-Stems Third Declension, N-Stems Third Declension, OU-Stems Third Declension, Ū-Stems Third-Declension, Any Stem Third Declension, Irregular Diminutives Fourth Declension Fifth Declension Fifth Declension, Irregular Diminutives Substituting Diminutive Bases Diminutives Bases Side by Side Multiple Possible Diminutive Forms Bibliography Nômina Dêminûtîva Latîna \| Pāginae Latīnitātis \| DIĒS GAUDIĪ © 2007 Ian Andreas Miller. All rights reserved. Those statements refer to all of the original content on this page.