FIRST DECLENSION (ā-STEMS)
[*] 40. The Stem of nouns of the First Declension ends in ā-. The Nominative ending is -a (the stem-vowel shortened), except in Greek nouns. [*] 41. Latin nouns of the First Declension are thus declined:—| stella , F., star | |||
| STEM stellā- | |||
| SINGULAR | CASE-ENDINGS | ||
| NOM. | stella | a star | -a |
| GEN. | stellae | of a star | -ae |
| DAT. | stellae | to or for a star | -ae |
| ACC. | stellam | a star | -am |
| ABL. | stellā | with, from, by, etc. a star | -ā |
| PLURAL | |||
| NOM. | stellae | stars | -ae |
| GEN. | stellārum | of stars | -ārum |
| DAT. | stellīs | to or for stars | -īs |
| ACC. | stellās | stars | -ās |
| ABL. | stellīs | with, from, by, etc. stars | -īs |
Gender in the First Declension
[*] 42. Nouns of the first declension are Feminine. Exceptions: Nouns masculine from their signification: as, nauta, sailor. So a few family or personal names: as, Mūrēna , Dolābella , Scaevola 1; also, Hadria, the Adriatic.Case-Forms in the First Declension
[*] 43. a. The genitive singular anciently ended in -āī (dissyllabic), which is occasionally found: as, aulāī. The same ending sometimes occurs in the dative, but only as a diphthong. [*] b. An old genitive in -ās is preserved in the word familiās , often used in the combinations pater (māter, fīlius, fīlia) familiās, father, etc., of a family (plur. patrēs familiās or familiārum). [*] c. The Locative form for the singular ends in -ae; for the plural in -īs (cf. p. 34, footnote): as, Rōmae, at Rome; Athēnīs, at Athens. [*] d. The genitive plural is sometimes found in -um instead of -ārum, especially in Greek patronymics, as, Aeneadum, sons of Æneas, and in compounds with -cŏla and -gĕna, signifying dwelling and descent: as, caelicolum, celestials; Trōiugenum, sons of Troy; so also in the Greek nouns amphora and drachma. [*] e. The dative and ablative plural of dea, goddess, fīlia, daughter, end in an older form -ābus (deābus, fīliābus) to distinguish them from the corresponding cases of deus, god, and fīlius, son (deīs, fīliīs). So rarely with other words, as, līberta, freed-woman; mūla, she-mule; equa, mare. But, except when the two sexes are mentioned together (as in formulas, documents, etc.), the form in -īs is preferred in all but dea and fīlia .[*] Note 1.--The old ending of the ablative singular (-ād) is sometimes retained in early Latin: as, praidād, booty (later, praedā ).
[*] Note 2.--In the dative and ablative plural -eis for -īs is sometimes found, and -iīs (as in taeniīs ) is occasionally contracted to -īs ( taenīs ); so regularly in words in -âia (as, Bâīs from Bâiae).
Greek Nouns of the First Declension
[*] 44. Many nouns of the First Declension borrowed from the Greek are entirely Latinized (as, aula, court); but others retain traces of their Greek case-forms in the singular.| Electra, F. | synopsis, F. | art of music, F. | |
| NOM. | Ēlectra (-ā） | epitomē | mūsica (-ē） |
| GEN. | Ēlectrae | epitomēs | mūsicae (-ēs） |
| DAT. | Ēlectrae | epitomae | mūsicae |
| ACC. | Ēlectram (-ān） | epitomēn | mūsicam (-ēn） |
| ABL. | Ēlectrā | epitomē | mūsicā (-ē） |
| Andromache, F. | Æneas, M. | Persian, M. | |
| NOM. | Andromachē (-a） | Aenēās | Persēs (-a） |
| GEN. | Andromachēs (-ae） | Aenēae | Persae |
| DAT. | Andromachae | Aenēae | Persae |
| ACC. | Andromachēn (-am） | Aenēān (-am） | Persēn (-am） |
| ABL. | Andromachē (-ā） | Aenēā | Persē (-ā） |
| VOC. | Andromachē (-a） | Aenēā (-a） | Persa |
| Anchises , M. | son of Æneas, M. | comet, M. | |
| NOM. | Anchīsēs | Aeneadēs (-a） | comētēs (-a） |
| GEN. | Anchīsae | Aeneadae | comētae |
| DAT. | Anchīsae | Aeneadae | comētae |
| ACC. | Anchīsēn (-am） | Aeneadēn | comētēn (-am） |
| ABL. | Anchīsē (-ā） | Aeneadē (-ā） | comētā (-ē） |
| VOC. | Anchīsē (-ā, -a） | Aeneadē (-a） | comēta |
[*] Note.--The Greek accusative Scīpiadam , from Scīpiadēs, descendant of the Scipios, is found in Horace.