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Could anyone tell me if the first "i" of "VIRIDIS" (green), the one between "v" and "r", is long or short?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Olavo Panseri
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1 Answers1

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It is short. A good dictionary should indicate this, either with a breve (ĭ) or by marking all long vowels with macrons.

We know this both through poetry (Aeneid V.110: in mediō, sacrī tripodēs viridēsque corōnae) and through its Romance descendants. In most contexts, short ĭ becomes e in Romance, while long ī becomes i. So forms like Spanish verde point to a short vowel.

Draconis
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