Noun/Adjective – 3rd Declension -ης

ObjectivesLearning objectives

• The morphology of 3rd declension nouns and adjectives ending in -ης
• The semantics of closed scale adjectives

VocabularyVocabulary

1 All the forms follow this paradigm apart from Neuter Nom and Acc: ἄρσεν (sg) and ἄρσενα (pl).

MorphologyMorphology: Noun/Adjective – 3rd Declension -ης

• The full stem of this paradigm can be seen in the vocative sg form, ἀληθές, but the final σ drops out in every form
• In the nom sg, the final vowel lengthens to compensate for the lost σ, e.g. ἀληθέσ-ς → ἀληθής
• In the dat pl, the vowel does not lengthen when the σ drops out, e.g. ἀληθέσ-σι → ἀληθέσι
• In all other forms the ending begins with a vowel, so when the σ drops out, the vowel and the remaining ε contract together:
• gen sg: ἀληθέσ-ος → ἀληθέος → ἀληθοῦς
• dat sg: ἀληθέσ-ι → ἀληθέι → ἀληθεῖ
• nom pl: ἀληθέσ-ες → ἀληθέες → ἀληθεῖς
• gen pl: ἀληθέσ-ων → ἀληθέων → ἀληθῶν
• acc pl: ἀληθέσ-ας → ἀληθέας → ἀληθεῖς
• As usual, the neut forms are only different in nom and acc case:
• The sg forms have a null ending, so remain ἀληθές

SemanticsSemantics: Adj – Regular (5 – Closed scale adjectives)

Adjective – Regular: all 3 parts on one page →Also in Lesson 32.2, Lesson 42.1

In addition to adjectives that receive an open scale interpretation (see 32.2.3.2), there are also adjectives that are interpreted with a closed scale. For example, the adjective εὐθύς ‘straight’ refers to a closed scale, since there is a defined limit to how straight something can be. When there are zero turns, the object cannot be made straighter.

Once John the Baptist makes the paths ‘straight’ for Jesus, they cannot be made straighter. The fundamental difference between open scale adjectives and closed scale adjectives is that the latter does not have a comparison set. An object can be called big only in relation to other objects, but something is straight in relation to the end of the scale of straightness. Thus, there is in principle no limit to how big something can be, but there is a limit to how straight something can be.