General information on the adjective in Latin
Adjective (nomen adiectivum) in Latin, as in English, agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case. Adjectives do not have their own declension system; they decline according to the patterns of nouns of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd declensions.
According to the type of declension, all Latin adjectives are divided into two groups:
- First-group adjectives decline according to the 1st and 2nd noun declensions;
- Second-group adjectives decline according to the 3rd noun declension.
Adjectives of the first group
The dictionary form of first-group adjectives contains three gender endings in the nominative case singular: -us (masculine), -a (feminine), -um (neuter). The feminine forms decline according to the 1st declension, while the masculine and neuter forms decline according to the 2nd declension.
Genitive case singular endings: -ae for the feminine gender, -i for the masculine and neuter. For example: longus, longa, longum (long) — Gen. longi, longae, longi; liber, libera, liberum (free).
In a number of adjectives ending in -er in the masculine gender, the vowel e drops out: in the masculine gender, starting from the genitive singular; in the feminine and neuter, in all cases. In other adjectives ending in -er, this drop does not occur.
Adjectives of the second group
Second-group adjectives decline according to the 3rd declension and have a single stem for all genders in the oblique cases. According to the number of gender endings in the dictionary form, they are divided into three types.
- Adjectives of two endings are the most frequent in anatomical and medical terminology. In Nom. sg., they have the ending -is (common to masculine and feminine) and -e (for neuter): brevis, breve (short); frontalis, frontale (frontal). Characteristic word-formation pattern: stem + suffix -al- or -ar- + ending -is/-e.
- Adjectives of one ending have a single ending in Nom. sg. for all three genders (for example, -x, -s): simplex (simple), teres (round), biceps (biceps). Their distinctive feature is the mismatch of stems in Nom. and Gen. sg., which is reflected in the dictionary form: simplex, simplicis; teres, teretis; biceps, bicipitis.
- Adjectives of three endings have -er (masculine), -is (feminine), -e (neuter) in Nom. sg.: celer, celeris, celere (fast); celeber, celebris, celebre.
Agreement of the adjective with the noun
Agreement is a type of subordinate relation in which the function of an attribute in a nominal phrase is performed by an adjective; such an attribute is called agreeing. The adjective always agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case, which is why the endings in the phrase often (but not always) coincide.
- processus transversus — Gen. processus transversi;
- linea transversa — Gen. lineae transversae;
- ligamentum transversum — Gen. ligamenti transversi;
- canalis vertebralis — Gen. canalis vertebralis;
- incisura vertebralis — Gen. incisurae vertebralis;
- foramen vertebrale — Gen. foraminis vertebralis.
Degrees of comparison of adjectives
The Latin adjective has three degrees of comparison: positive (gradus positivus), comparative (gradus comparativus), and superlative (gradus superlativus).
The comparative degree is formed by adding the suffixes -ior for the masculine and feminine genders and -ius for the neuter to the adjective stem: brevior, brevius; latior, latius. The comparative stem coincides with the masculine and feminine Nom. sg. form. It declines according to the 3rd declension; Gen. sg. is the same for all three genders and is formed by adding the ending -is. The adjective in the comparative degree agrees with the noun: sutura latior, sulcus latior, foramen latius.
The superlative degree is formed by adding the suffix -issim- and the gender endings -us, -a, -um to the stem; it declines according to the 1st–2nd declensions.
Special cases and exceptions
- Adjectives ending in -er form the superlative degree with the suffix -rim- + gender endings -us, -a, -um.
- A number of adjectives ending in -ilis form the superlative degree with the suffix -lim- + gender endings.
- Adjectives whose stem ends in a vowel form their degrees of comparison periphrastically: with the word magis (more) for the comparative degree and maxime (most) for the superlative.
- There are adjectives that form their degrees of comparison suppletively, that is, from different stems (as in English "good — better — best").
Key points
- The adjective agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case.
- First-group adjectives decline according to the 1st and 2nd declensions (-us, -a, -um).
- Second-group adjectives decline according to the 3rd declension and have one, two, or three endings.
- In medical terminology, adjectives of two endings ending in -is, -e are most common.
- In adjectives of one ending, the Nom. sg. and Gen. sg. stems differ.
- The comparative degree is formed with the suffixes -ior (m, f) and -ius (n).
- The superlative degree is formed with the suffix -issim- and gender endings.
- Adjectives ending in -er, -ilis, with a vowel stem, and suppletive adjectives form their degrees of comparison according to special rules.