ADJECTIVES OF THE FIRST AND SECOND DECLENSIONS
[*] 286.
Adjectives of Three Endings.—Most adjectives of the vowel declension have three endings:
-ος, -η (or
-α_),
-ον. The masculine and neuter are declined according to the second declension, the feminine according to the first.
a. When
ε, ι, or
ρ (
30,
218) precedes
-ος the feminine ends in
-α_, not in
-η. But adjectives in
-οος (not preceded by
ρ) have
η. Thus,
ὄγδοος, ὀγδόη, ὄγδοον eighth,
ἀθρόος, ἀθρόα_, ἀθρόον crowded. See 290 e.
[*] 287.
ἀγαθός good,
ἄξιος worthy,
μακρός long are thus declined:
ἐσθλός good,
κακός bad,
σοφός wise,
κοῦφος, κούφη, κοῦφον light,
δῆλος clear; ἀνδρεῖος, ἀνδρεία_, ἀνδρεῖον courageous,
δίκαιος just,
ὅμοιος like,
αἰσχρός, αἰσχρά_, αἰσχρόν base,
ἐλεύθερος free; all participles in
-ος and all superlatives.
a. The accent in the feminine nominative and genitive plural follows that of the masculine:
ἄξιαι, ἀξίων, not
ἀξίαι, ἀξιῶν, as would be expected according to the rule for substantives (
205), e.g. as in
αἰτία_ cause,
αἰτίαι, αἰτιῶν.
b. All adjectives and participles may use the mas uline instead of the feminine dual forms:
τὼ ἀγαθὼ μητέρε the two good mothers.
[*] 287 D. In the fem. nom. sing. Ionic has
-η, never
-α_; in the fem. gen. pl. Hom. has
-ά_ων (less often
-έων); Hdt. has
-έων in oxytone adjectives and participles, and so probably in barytones.
[*] 288.
Adjectives of Two Endings.—Adjectives using the masculine for the feminine are called adjectives of two endings. Most such adjectives are compounds.
[*] 289.
ἄδικος unjust (
ἀ- without,
δίκη justice),
φρόνιμος prudent, and
ἵ_λεως propitious are declined thus:
a. Like
ἄδικος are declined the compounded
ἄ-λογος irrational,
ἄ-τι_μος dishonoured,
ἀ-χρεῖος useless,
ἔμ-πειρος experienced,
ἐπί-φθονος envious,
εὔ-ξενος hospitable,
ὑπ-ήκοος obedient. Like
φρόνιμος are declined the uncompounded
βάρβαρος barbarian,
ἥσυχος quiet,
ἥμερος tame,
λάλος talkative.
b. Like
ἵ_λεως are declined other adjectives of the Attic declension (
237), as
ἄκερως without horns,
ἀξιόχρεως serviceable. For the accent, see 163 a. Adjectives in
-ως, -ων have
-α in the neut. pl., but
ἔκπλεω occurs in Xenophon.
c. πλέως full has three endings:
πλέως, πλέα_, πλέων, pl.
πλέῳ, πλέαι, πλέα, but most compounds, such as
ἔμπλεως quite full, have the fem. like the masc.
σῶς safe has usually sing. N.
σῶς masc., fem. (rarely
σᾶ),
σῶν neut., A.
σῶν; plur. N.
σῷ masc., fem.,
σᾶ neut., A.
σῶς masc., fem.,
σᾶ neut. Other cases are supplied by
σῶος, σώα_, σῶον. σῶον also occurs in the accusative.
d. In poetry, and sometimes in prose, adjectives commonly of two endings have a feminine form, as
πάτριος paternal,
βίαιος violent; and those commonly of three endings have no feminine, as
ἀναγκαῖος necessary,
φίλιος friendly.
[*] 289 D. Hom. has
ἵ_λα_ος or
ἵ_λα^ος; πλεῖος, πλείη, πλεῖον (Hdt.
πλέος, πλέη, πλέον);
σῶς (only in this form), and
σόος, σόη, σόον, Hom. has N.
ζώς, A.
ζών living, and
ζωός, ζωή, ζωόν living.
[*] 290.
Contracted Adjectives.—Most adjectives in
-εος and
-οος are contracted. Examples:
χρύ_σεος golden,
ἀργύρεος of silver,
ἁπλόος simple (feminine
ἁπλέα_).
a. So
χαλκοῦς, -ῆ, -οῦν brazen,
φοινι_κοῦς, -ῆ, -οῦν crimson,
πορφυροῦς, -ᾶ, -οῦν dark red,
σιδηροῦς, -ᾶ, -οῦν of iron,
διπλοῦς, -ῆ, -οῦν twofold, and other multiplicatives in
-πλοῦς (354 b). Compounds of two endings (
288):
εὔνους, -ουν (
εὔνοος)
well disposed,
ἄπλους, -ουν (
ἄπλοος)
not navigable,
εὔρους, -ουν (
εὔροος)
fair-flowing. These have open
οα in the neuter plural.
b. The vocative and dual of contracted adjectives are very rare.
c. Adjectives whose uncontracted form in the nom. sing. has the accent on the antepenult (
χρύ_σεος, πορφύρεος) take in the contracted form a circumflex on their last syllable (
χρυ_σοῦς, πορφυροῦς) by analogy to the gen. and dat. sing. The accent of the nom. dual masculine and neuter is also irregular (
χρυ_σώ, not
χρυ_σῶ).
d. For peculiarities of contraction see
56.
ἁπλῆ is from
ἁπλέα_, not from
ἁπλόη.
e. Some adjectives are not contracted:
ἀργαλέος difficult,
κερδαλέος crafty,
νέος young,
ὄγδοος eighth,
ἀθρόος crowded (usually). (Here
εο and
οο were probably separated originally by
ϝ, 3.)