Re: Latin

From: Michael Everson (everson@egt.ie)
Date: Wed Dec 29 1999 - 10:44:00 EST


Ar 07:07 -0800 1999-12-29, scríobh John Cowan:

>"Scenarii" was probably an attempt to construct a Latinate plural,
>similar to the use of "viri" or (worse) "virii" as plural of "virus".
>In Latin, "virus" (meaning "poison") was a mass-noun with no usual
>plural form; the proper English plural is "viruses".

I'm not sure about yr. Latin, John. Vírus is a neuter noun with its
genitive in -í; it is a bit unusual for neuters to end in -us all right,
but its plural would normally be vírí, unless víra which would < vírum....

Michael Everson ** Everson Gunn Teoranta ** http://www.egt.ie
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