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68. In neuters the nominative is the same as the stem, with final i changed to e (mare, stem mari-). But most nouns1 in which the i of the stem is preceded by -āl- or -ār- lose the final vowel and shorten the preceding ā.

animăl, stem animāli-2

a. Neuters in -e, -al, and -ar have in the ablative singular, -ium in the genitive plural, and -ia in the nominative and accusative plural.

animal, animālī, -ia, -ium

69. Nouns of this class are declined as follows.

Paradigm for 3rd declension neuter pure i-stem nouns

 

Footnotes

1. Such are animal, bacchānal, bidental, capital, cervīcal, cubital, lupercal, minūtal, puteal, quadrantal, toral, tribūnal, vectīgal; calcar , cochlear, exemplar, lacūnar, laquear, tūcar, lūminar, lupānar, palear, pulvīnar, torcular . Cf. the plurals dentālia, frontālia, genuālia, spōnsālia; altāria, plantāria, speculāria, tālāria; also many names of festivals, as, Sāturnālia.

2.Exceptions are augurāle, collāre, fōcāle, nāvāle, penetrāle, rāmāle, scūtāle, tībiāle; alveāre, capillāre. cochleāre.

Suggested Citation

Meagan Ayer, Allen and Greenough’s New Latin Grammar for Schools and Colleges. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2014. ISBN: 978-1-947822-04-7. https://dcc.dickinson.edu/ro/grammar/latin/3rd-declension-pure-i-stem-n