Third Declension Endings (Masculine/Feminine)

Historical Grammar

249. The vocative is the same as the nominative:

a. In stems ending in a stop (16) consonant (except those in ιτ, ιδ, ῑθ; ντ in nouns): ὦ φύλαξ watchman. (Αἴᾱς Ajax (Αἰαντ-) is nom. and voc.)

b. In oxytone stems ending in a liquid and not taking ς to form their nominative (242): ὦ ποιμήν shepherd (ποιμεν-); but ἀνήρ man, πατήρ father have ἄνερ, πάτερ (262). Barytones use the stem as the vocative: δαῖμον, ῥη̈τορ from δαίμων divinity, ῥήτωρ orator.

c. In all participles.

250. The dative plural adds -σι to the stem.

Ἄραψ (Ἀραβ-) Ἄραψι, μάστῐξ (μαστῑγ-) μάστιξι, φύλαξ (φυλακ-) φύλαξι, σῶμα (σωματ-) σώμασι (98), ἐλπίς (ἐλπιδ-) ἐλπίσι (98), ὄρνῑς (ὀρνῑθ-) ὄρνῑσι (98), ἐλέφᾱς (ἐλεφαντ-) ἐλέφᾱσι, θήρ (θηρ-) θηρσί.

a. Stems in ντ drop ντ and lengthen the preceding vowel (100): λέων (λεοντ-) λέουσι, γίγᾱς (γιγαντ-) γίγᾱσι.

b. Stems in ν drop ν without lengthening the preceding vowel (if short): δαίμων (δαιμον-) δαίμοσι, ποιμήν (ποιμεν-) ποιμέσι, φρήν mind (φρεν-) φρεσί.

N. – Strictly ν is not dropped, but since the stem of the dat. pl. is weak in form (253 a) the ν stood originally between two consonants and should become α (35 b). Thus, φρασί in Pindar is for φρṇσι. Attic φρεσί borrows its ε from φρένες, φρενῶν, etc. So ποιμέσι, for ποιμασι from ποιμṇσι, because of ποιμένες, etc.

c. ρς is not changed to ρρ (79 a).

251. a. The ending -ας is produced by adding νς to the stem (ν becoming α between two consonants by 35 b). Thus φύλακ-ας is from φυλακ-ṇς. This -ας may be added even to ι and υ stems: Hom. πόλι-ας, ἰχθύ-ας, Hdt. πήχε-ας. Hom. πόλῑς is from πόλι-νς (Cretan).

b. The nominative pl. masc. or fem. is sometimes used instead of the accusative pl.: τριήρεις 264, πόλεις and πήχεις 268.

252. Accent. – Stems of one syllable accent the case ending in the genitive and dative of all numbers; and -ων and -οιν take the circumflex accent. Thus, φλέψ vein, φλεβ-ός, φλεβ-ῶν; θήρ wild beast, θηρ-ός, θηρ-οῖν, θηρ-ῶν; θρίξ hair, τριχ-ός, τριχ-ῶν.

a. Exceptions. The ending of the gen. dual and pl. is not accented in the case of ὁ, ἡ παῖς boy, girl, ὁ δμώς slave, ὁ θώς jackal, ὁ Τρώς Trojan, ἡ δᾴς torch,

b. A trisyllabic form, if contracted, does not show the accent on the case ending: ἦρ-ος for ἔαρ-ος, ἦρ-ι for ἔαρ-ι, from τὸ ἔαρ spring.

253. Variation of Stem Formation. – Many words of the third declension show traces of an original variation of stem that is due to the influence of a shifting accent which is seen in some of the cognate languages. In Greek this variation has often been obscured by the analogy of other forms. Thus πατέρων, in comparison with Hom. πατρῶν, Lat. patrum, gets its ε from πατέρες.

a. Variation of stem is seen in ων, ον (259); ηρ, ερ, ρα (262); ης, εσ- (264); in stems in ι, ει (270); υ, ευ (270); ευ, ηυ (278); οι, ω (279), etc. Words in ων, ην show a middle form ον, εν, and a weak form in ν (250 N.).

b. Several words ending in ρ show a parallel stem in τ; thus, ὕδωρ water ὕδατ-ος, ἧπαρ liver ἥπατ-ος, φρέᾱρ tank φρέᾱτ-ος (but poet. δάμᾱρ wife δάμαρτ-ος). The reason for this change is uncertain, but ατ is derived from ντ after a consonant (35 b): ὑδντος, ἡπντος, cp. Lat. jecinoris, nom. jecur. ἧπαρ is probably derived from ἡπαρτ (133).

c. -ατος was transferred from such genitives as ὀνόματος, ἥπατος to other neuter words: γόνατος from γόνυ knee, instead of γονϜ-ος, whence Hom. γουνός. φῶς light, for φάος (stem φαεσ-), has taken on the τ inflection (φωτ-ός, etc.).

d. Neuter stems in -ες show -ος in the nominative. Cp. ἔτος year (stem ἐτεσ-) with Lat. vetus, veter-is (for vetes-is).

254. Variation of Quantity. –a. In poetry the quantity of ι in words in -ις may differ from that of prose; as in tragedy ὄρνῐς bird, κόνῑς dust, ὄφῑς serpent (in prose ὄρνῑς, κόνῐς, ὄφῐς); so in Pind. ἰχθῠ́ς (prose ἰχθύ̄ς) fish.

b. κῆρῠξ herald, Φοῖνῐξ Phoenician, μάστῐξ whip have long υ and ι in the oblique cases except the dat. pl. (κήρῡκος, Φοίνῑκι, μάστῑγα, etc.). ἀλώπηξ fox has ε in the gen. ἀλώπεκος, etc., by analogy to such words as ποιμήν, ποιμένος (ἀλωπήκων occurs in Ionic). πῦρ fire has πῠρός, πῠρί, etc. (285, 25).

255. Gender. – The gender of substantives of the third declension is frequently known by the last letters of the stem.

1. Masculine are stems ending in

a. ντ: ὀδούς tooth (ὀδοντ-), δράκων serpent (δρακοντ-).

b. ητ, ωτ: πένης day-labourer (πενητ-), γέλως laughter (γελωτ-).

Exceptions. Stems in -τητ (2, b): ἡ ἐσθής dress (ἐσθητ-), τὸ φῶς light (φωτ-).

c. ν: λειμών meadow (λειμον-).

Exceptions. Fem.: stems in γον, δον (2, a), and φρήν mind (φρεν-), ἴ¯ς strength (ἰ¯ν-), ῥί¯ς nose (ῥῑν-), ἀκτί¯ς ray (ἀκτῑν-), γλωχί¯ς arrow-point (γλωχῑν-), ὠδί¯ς birth-pang (ὠδῑν-), εἰκών image (εἰκον-), ἠϊών shore (ἠϊον-), χθών earth (χθόν-), χιών snow (χιον-), ἀλκυών halcyon (ἀλκυον-), etc., ὁ, ἡ χήν goose (χην-).

d. ρ: θήρ wild beast (θηρ-), φώρ thief (φωρ-).

Exceptions. Fem.: χείρ hand (χερ-), κήρ fate (κηρ-), γαστήρ belly (γαστερ-); neut.: stems in αρ (3, a), πῦρ fire (πυρ-), and the indeclinable πέλωρ monster, τέκμωρ (Hom.) token, etc.

e. ευ: γονεύς parent, φονεύς murderer.

2. Feminine are stems ending in

a. γον, δον: σταγών drop (σταγον-), χελῑδών swallow (χελῑδον-).

b. τητ, δ, θ: κακότης baseness (κακοτητ-), ἔρις strife (ἐριδ-), ἐλπίς hope (ἐλπιδ-).

Exceptions. Masc.: πούς foot (ποδ-), ὁ, ἡ ὄρνῑς bird (ὀρνῑθ-).

c. ι, υ with nom. in -ις, -υς: πόλι-ς city, ἰσχύ̄-ς strength.

Exceptions. Masc.: ὄφι-ς serpent, ἔχι-ς viper, ὄρχι-ς testicle; βότρυ-ς cluster of grapes, ἰχθύ̄-ς fish, μῦ-ς mouse, νέκυ-ς corpse, στάχυ-ς ear of corn, πέλεκυ-ς axe, πῆχυ-ς fore-arm; and ὁ, ἡ σῦ-ς or ὗ-ς swine.

d. οι: ἠχώ echo, πειθώ pèrsuasion.

3. Neuter are stems ending in

a. ατ, αρ: πρᾶγμα thing (πρᾱγματ-), νέκταρ nectar (νεκταρ-). But ὁ ψά̄ρ starling.

b. ας, ες (with nom. in -ος): κρέας flesh (κρεασ-), γενος race (γενεσ-).

c. ι, υ with nom. in -ι, -υ: σίνᾱπι mustard, ἄστυ city.

N. – No stem ending in π, β, φ or κ, γ, χ is neuter.

Masculine: κλώψ thief (κλωπ-), γύ̄ψ vulture (γῡπ-), Ἄραψ Arab (Ἀραβ-), θώρᾱξ breastplate (θωρᾱκ-), ὄνυξ nail (ὀνυχ-). Feminine: κλῖμαξ ladder (κλῑμακ-), μάστῐξ whip (μαστῑγ-, 254 b), σάλπιγξ trumpet (σαλπιγγ-), κατῆλιψ upper story (κατηλιφ-).

Masculine: γέλως laughter (γελωτ-), ἐλέφᾱς elephant (ἐλεφαντ-), λέων lion (λεοντ-), ὀδούς tooth (ὀδοντ-), voc. ὀδούς. Feminine: ἐσθής clothing (ἐσθητ-), ἔρις strife (ἐριδ-), ἀσπίς shield (ἀσπιδ-), πατρίς fatherland (πατριδ-), κόρυς helmet (κορυθ-).

a. In πούς foot, Doric πώς (stem ποδ-) ου is irregular.

ὄνομα name (ὀνοματ-), στόμα mouth (στοματ), μέλι honey (μελιτ-), γάλα milk (γαλακτ-, 133 b), φῶς light (φωτ-), κῆρ heart (for κηρδ-, 133 b).

a. Stems in ας (264) drop ς before the endings and contract αο, αω to ω, and αα to ᾱ.

b. κέρας, meaning wing of an army, is declined from the stem κερασ- (ἐπὶ κέρως in single file); in the meaning horn, from the stem κερᾱτ-.

c. For the inflection ἧπαρ, ἥπατ-ος, see 253 b. Of like inflection are ἄλειφαβ fat, φρέᾱρ cistern, δέλεαρ bait, and poetic ἦμαρ day, εἶδαρ food, πεῖραρ end.

d. τέρας, κέρας form their nominative from a stem in ς. So, too, πέρας end πέρατ-ος, φῶς light (contracted from φάος) φωτ-ός (253 c).

stems in a liquid (λ, ρ) or a nasal (ν) —Concluded

ὁ αἰθήρ upper air (αἰθερ-), ὁ κρᾱτήρ mixing bowl (κρᾱτηρ-), ὁ φώρ thief (φωρ-), τὸ νέκταρ nectar (νεκταρ-), ὁ δελφί̄ς dolphin (δελφῑν-), ὁ Ἕλλην Greek (Ἑλλην-), ὁ δαίμων divinity (δαιμον-), voc. δαῖμον, 249 b. The only λ stem is ὁ ἅλς salt (pl. grains of salt); ἡ ἅλς (poetic) means sea. ὁ μήν month was originally a sigma stem (μηνσ-, cp. mensis).

260. Accusative Sing. – Ἀπόλλω and Ποσειδῶ are found as well as Ἀπόλλωνα, Ποσειδῶνα. The shorter forms are regular in inscriptions, and occur especially in expressions of swearing after νὴ τόν, μὰ τόν (1596 b).

261. Vocative. – σωτήρ preserver, Ἀπόλλων, Ποσειδῶν (from Ποσειδέων, -ά̄ων, -ᾱϜων) have voc. σῶτερ, Ἄπολλον, Πόσειδον with recessive accent. Recessive accent also occurs in compound proper names in -ων; as Ἀγαμέμνων, Ἀγάμεμνον; Αὐτομέδων, Αὐτόμεδον; Φιλήμων, Φιλῆμον; but not in those in -φρων (Εὐθύφρον). Λακεδαίμων has Λακεδαῖμον.

262. Several words in -τηρ show three forms of stem gradation: -τηρ strong, -τερ middle, -τρ weak. ρ between consonants becomes ρα (35 b). The vocative has recessive accent. ἀνήρ man has the weak form in ρ even before vowels; between ν and ρ, δ is inserted by 130.

a. The accent in the weak forms of μήτηρ, θυγάτηρ in the gen. and dat. sing. follows that of πατρός, πατρί.

b. γαστήρ belly, has γαστρός, etc. Δημήτηρ is inflected Δήμητρος, Δήμητρι, Δήμητρα, Δήμητερ.

c. ἀστήρ star has gen. ἀστέρος, dat. ἀστέρι, dat. pl. ἀστράσι.