Noun – 3rd Declension -ξ singular

ObjectivesLearning objectives

• The morphology of the 3rd declension -ξ (sg) forms

VocabularyVocabulary

GrammarGrammar Topic: Noun – 3rd Declension -ξ singular

The 3rd declension endings for masculine and feminine nouns are consistent across all paradigms, but the endings will appear differently depending on how they interact with different noun stems. This lesson introduces these endings with nouns that have stems ending in γ, κ, or χ.

MorphologyMorphology: Noun – 3rd Declension -ξ singular

• The 3rd declension noun endings are identical to the WH-word endings (see 12.3.3.1).

• Like the WH-word paradigm, the σ in the nom sg may change the last letter of the stem; stems ending in γ, κ, and χ all combine with σ to form ξ.
• Examples: σαλπιγγ-ς → σάλπιγξ; σάρκ-ς → σάρξ; θριχ-ς → θρίξ
• The full stem can only be seen in cases other than the nom sg.

• One common irregular noun is γυνή ‘woman’
• The nom sg looks like a normal 1st declension noun with the stem γυν
• The stem is γυναικ in the rest of the paradigm, and it follows the normal 3rd declension endings
• The gen and dat forms attract the accent to the final syllable, the ultima (this is not normally true of 3rd declension nouns), and the acc has a circumflex on the penultima
• The voc looks like a pl 1st declension noun with the -αι ending