[*] 238.
Abstract Nouns and Names of Actions are formed from roots and
verb-stems by means of the endings—
[*] a.
Added to roots or forms conceived as roots—
|
tim-or, fear;
|
timēre, to
fear.
|
|
am-or, love;
|
amāre, to
love.
|
|
sēd-ēs,
seat;
|
sedēre, to
sit.
|
|
caed-ēs,
slaughter;
|
caedere, to
kill.
|
|
genus, birth,
race;
|
GEN, to be
born (root of gignō, bear). |
[*] Note.--Many nouns of
this class are formed by analogy from imaginary roots: as
facinus from a supposed root
FACIN.
[*] b.
Apparently added to roots or verb-stems—
|
leg-iō, a
collecting (levy), a
legion;
|
legere, to
collect.
|
|
reg-iō, a
direction, a region;
|
regere, to
direct.
|
|
vocā-tiō,
a calling;
|
vocāre, to
call.
|
|
mōlī-tiō, a
toiling;
|
mōlīrī, to
toil.
|
|
scrīp-tūra,
a writing;
|
scrībere, to
write.
|
|
sēn-sus (for
†
sent-tus
), feeling;
|
sentīre, to
feel.
|
[*] Note 1.--
-tiō, -tūra, -tus are added to roots or verb-stems precisely as
-tor, with the same phonetic
change (cf. § 236.
a. N. 1). Hence they are
conveniently associated with the supine stem (see §
178). They sometimes form
nouns when there is no corresponding verb in use: as, senātus, senate
(cf.
senex
); mentiō,
mention (cf.
mēns
); fētūra, offspring
(cf.
fētus
); litterātūra,
literature (cf.
litterae
); cōnsulātus,
consulship (cf.
cōnsul
).
[*] Note 2.--Of these
endings, -tus was originally
primary (cf. § 234.
2.3.); -iō is a compound
formed by adding ōn- to a
stem ending in a vowel (originally i): as,
diciō (cf. -dicus and
dicis
); -tiō is a
compound formed by adding ōn- to stems in ti-: as,
gradātiō
(cf.
gradātim
); -tūra is
formed by adding -ra, feminine of
-rus, to stems in tu-: as,
nātūra
from nātus;
statūra from
status (cf.
figūra
, of like meaning, from a simple u<*>
stem, †figu-s; and
mātūrus,
Mātūta).
