Neuter Adjectives are used substantively in the following special senses:—
The neuter
singular
may denote either a single object or an abstract quality:—
raptō
vīvere
,
to live by plunder.
|
in
āridō
,
on dry ground.
|
-
honestum
,
an honorable act
, or
virtue
(as a quality).
-
opus est mātūrātō
,
there is need of haste.
[Cf. impersonal passives §
208
.
d.
]
The neuter
plural
is used to signify
objects in general
having the quality denoted, and hence may stand for the abstract idea:—
honesta
,
honorable deeds
(in general).
|
praeterita
,
the past
(lit., bygones).
|
-
omnēs
fortia
laudant
,
all men praise bravery
(brave things).
A neuter adjective may be used as an appositive or predicate noun with a noun of different gender (cf. §
287
.
a
):—
-
trīste
lupus stabulīs
(Ecl. 3.80)
,
the wolf
[is]
a grievous thing for the fold.
-
varium
et
mūtābile
semper fēmina
(Aen. 4.569)
,
woman is ever a changing and fickle thing.
-
malum
mihi vidētur esse mors
(Tusc. 1.9)
,
death seems to me to be an evil.
A neuter adjective may be used as an attributive or a predicate adjective with an infinitive or a substantive clause:—
-
istuc ipsum
nōn esse
(Tusc. 1.12)
,
that very “not to be.”
-
hūmānum
est errāre
,
to err is human.
-
aliud
est errāre Caesarem nōlle,
aliud
nōlle miserērī
;
(
Lig. 16
),
it is one thing to be unwilling that Cæsar should err, another to be unwilling that he should pity.
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