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8
votes
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Perfect passive forms like "amatus fuit"
The normal way of forming the perfect passive system is: perfect passive participle + a form from the present system of sum, e.g. amatus est, amatus erat, amatus sit, amatus esset.
But one occasionally comes across forms which use the perfect system…
TKR
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8
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How and when did we get two forms of sigma?
The Greek letter sigma (σ) has a different form (ς) when used at the end of a word.
This distinction seems unnecessary to me, and it's not clear why it would emerge.
Do we know why and when this distinction came to be?
Was there a benefit…
Joonas Ilmavirta
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Does "octopus" get a circumflex?
I just learned (from Pé de Leão here) that in Neo-Latin orthography, Latin words that come from Greek names that end in -οῦς get a circumflex in imitation of the Greek circumflex, e.g. Trapezûs, Hierichûs. See, for example, p. 16 of this summary of…
Ben Kovitz
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8
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2 answers
Origin of the reconstructed pronunciation
I know that a common source for the reconstructed pronunciation of latin is Vox Latina by William Sidney Allen, but I've read somewhere that a critical analysis of latin texts and the pronunciation reconstruction started in Germany by the end of the…
user2463
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Use of subjunctinve in a North & Hillard translation exercise
North & Hillard Ex. 228 includes:
Next day Caesar had again an army which, though diminished, was prepared to face all dangers manfully.
A footnote states: "Of the concessive conjunctions quamvis is most frequently used where the verb is…
tony
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8
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1 answer
What was the classic term for "damnatio memoriae"?
The Wikipedia article on the subject notes that the term damnatio memoriae, referring to the relegation of a person's name to oblivion, as if they never existed, is a neo-Latin expression first attested in 1689.
What wording do the ancient sources…
kkm -still wary of SE promises
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8
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Are there other Latin words from the same PIE root as oculus?
In an answer to the question whether oculus is a diminutive, cnread told that this word comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *H3ekw, "see".
Are there other Latin words from this same root, in particular without the diminutive-looking suffix…
Joonas Ilmavirta
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8
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5 answers
What is the "economy principle" in papyrology exactly?
I have come across the phrase "economy principle" somewhere I cannot recall, talking about why some combinations of papyrus fragments were made. What is this principle exactly?
Update
As I typed it, I was on my mobile and close to bedtime, so I…
MickG
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The length of the final vowel in first declension nouns (Greek)
How can you tell whether a first declension noun ends in a short or long vowel?
Background
When the word is written and accented, I may be able to tell. (Not always. E.g. θύρᾱ if without the macron).
But in trying to recall one, I may have all the…
Catomic
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Regular passive forms of "facere"
Have regular passive forms of the verb facere ever been used?
If so, what is the first occurrence?
In all of the Latin I have seen, the passive forms of facere are replaced by fieri.
Regular passive forms are easy to form (facior, faceris, facitur…)…
Joonas Ilmavirta
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8
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3 answers
What is the meaning and use of the word 'Duco'?
I want to confirm my understanding of the word duco.
According to Wiktionary, it is a third conjugation, irregular short imperative. The examples are:
I lead, guide
I draw, pull
I think, consider
I prolong
I understand it is therefore singular,…
DVCITIS
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Did 'apricus' undergo antiphrasis?
Etymology [ of (French verb) 'abrier' ]
From Middle French, from Old French abrier (“to cover”),
itself mostly likely from Late Latin aprīcāre,
from Latin aprīcārī, present active infinitive of aprīcor (“warm in the sun”),
from aprīcus…
user37
8
votes
1 answer
Where is the database of "Corpus Latinorum Et Mediaevalium Naturae Scriptorum", promised 10 years ago
Has anybody found the actual database of "Corpus Latinorum Et Mediaevalium Naturae Scriptorum" instead of just project notes? The descriptions look incredibly promising:
CLEMENS, acronym for Corpus Latinorum Et Mediaevalium Naturae Scriptorum, is a…
LаngLаngС
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8
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2 answers
Is the -que in quinque at all related to the conjunction -que?
I noticed that quinque ends in -que. I asked my teacher if this was sheer coincidence or so reason for it. He didn't know but he thought it was coincidental. I, however, think that they probably share an etymology root. So is there a relation, if so…
tox123
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8
votes
2 answers
What are the future imperatives of sum?
I have a book: 501 Latin Verbs: fully conjugated. In the conjugations for the verb sum, it leaves out the future imperatives. Are there no future imperatives for sum? So how would, "You must be noun/adjective by time or condition" translate?
tox123
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