Elementary Greek Grammar: PART II: INFLECTION OF ADJECTIVES

§ 62.

1. Most adjectives in ος have three endings, ος, η, ον. The masculine and neuter are of the second declension, and the feminine is of the first; as σοφός, σοφή, σοφόν, wise.

2. If a vowel or ρ precedes ος, the feminine ends in ᾱ; as ἄξιος, ἀξία, ἄξιον, worthy. But adjectives in οος have οη in the feminine, except those in ροος; as ἁπλόος, ἁπλόη, ἁπλόον, simple; ἀθρόος, ἀθρόα, ἀθρόον, crowded.

3. Σοφός, wise, and ἄξιος, worthy, are thus declined: —

So μακρός, μακρά, μακρόν, long; gen. μακροῦ, μακρᾶς, μακροῦ; dat. μακρῷ, μακρᾷ, μακρῷ; acc. μακρόν, μακράν, μακρόν, &c., like ἄξιος.

All participles in ος are declined like σοφός.

Note. Proparoxytones in ος have recessive accent also in the feminine; as ἄξιος, ἄξιαι (not ἀξίαι, like ἀξία). For the accent of ων in the feminine of the genitive plural of barytones, see § 25, 2.

§ 63.

Some adjectives in ος, especially compounds, have only two endings, ος and ον, the feminine being the same as the masculine. They are declined like σοφός, omitting the feminine; as ἄλογος, ἄλογον; gen. ἀλόγου; dat. ἀλόγῳ, &c.

Note. Some adjectives in ος may be declined with either two or three endings.

§ 64.

A few adjectives of the second declension end in ως and ων, and are declined like νεώς and ἀνώγεων (§ 42, 2). Ἵλεως, gracious, and ἀγήρως, free from old age, are thus declined: —

For the accent of ἵλεως, see § 22, Note 2.

§ 65.

Many adjectives in εος and οος are contracted. Χρύσεος, golden, ἀργύρεος, of silver, and ἁπλόος, simple, are thus declined: —

For the accent, see § 43, Note. For irregular contraction, see § 9, 2, Note; and § 9, 3, Note. No distinct vocative forms occur.

Adjectives belonging only to the third declension have two endings, the feminine being the same as the masculine. Most of these end in ης and ες, or in ων and ον. Ἀληθής, true, πέπων, ripe, and εὐδαίμων, happy, are thus declined: —

For the accent of the form εὔδαιμον see § 25, 1, Note.

Note 1. One adjective in ων, ἑκών, ἑκοῦσα, ἑκόν, willing, has three endings, and is declined like participles in ων (§ 68). So its compound, ἄκων (ἀέκων), unwilling, ἄκουσα, ἆκον.

Note 2. The poetic ἴδρις, knowing, has acc. ἴδριν, voc. ἴδρι, nom. pl. ἴδριες.

Note 3. Adjectives compounded of nouns and a prefix are generally declined like those nouns; as εὔελπις, hopeful, gen. εὐέλπιδος; εὔχαρις, graceful, gen. εὐχάριτος (§ 50). But compounds of πατήρ and μήτηρ end in ωρ (gen. ορος), and those of πόλις in ις (gen. ιδος).

Note 4. Some adjectives of the third declension have only one ending, which is both masculine and feminine; as φυγάς, φυγάδος, fugitive; ἄπαις, ἄπαιδος, childless; ἀγνώς, ἀγνῶτος, unknown; ἄναλκις, ἀνάλκιδος, weak. The oblique cases occasionally occur as neuter. A very few adjectives of one termination are of the first declension, ending in ας or ης; as γεννάδας, noble, gen. γεννάδου.

§ 67.

1. Most adjectives of this class end in υς, εια, υ, or in εις, εσσα, εν. Three end in ας, — πᾶς, πᾶσα, πᾶν, all; μέλας, μέλαινα, μέλαν, black; and τάλας, τάλαινα, τάλαν, wretched.

2. Γλυκύς, sweet, χαρίεις, graceful, πᾶς, all, and μέλας, black, are thus declined: —

For the feminine of μέλας, see § 16, 7, (d).

Note 1. The Ionic feminine of adjectives in υς ends in εα or εη. Homer has εὐρέα (for εὐρύν) as accusative of εὐρύς, wide. For the dative plural of adjectives in εις, see § 16, 6, N. 2.

Note 2. Some adjectives in ήεις, ήεσσα, ῆεν, contract these endings to ῆς, ῆσσα, ῆν; and some in όεις, όεσσα, όεν, contract these to οῦς, οῦσσα, οῦν; as τιμήεις, τιμήεσσα, τιμῆεν, — τιμῆς, τιμῆσσα, τιμῆν, — valuable; gen. τιμήεντος, τιμηέσσης, — τιμῆντος, τιμήσσης, &c. So πλακόεις, πλακόεσσα, πλακόεν, — πλακοῦς, πλακοῦσσα, πλακοῦν, — flat; gen. πλακόεντος, πλακοέσσης, — πλακοῦντος, πλακούσσης; but not φωνήεις, φωνήεσσα, φωνῆεν, vocal.

Note 3. One adjective in ην, — τέρην, τέρεινα, τέρεν, tender (Latin tener), gen. τέρενος, τερείνης, τέρενος, &c., — is declined after the analogy of μέλας. So ἄρσην (or ἄρρην), ἄρσεν, male, gen. ἄρσενος, which has no feminine form.

§ 68.

To this class belong all active and all aorist passive participles. Λύων, loosing, ἱστάς, erecting, τιθείς, placing, δεικνύς, showing (present active participles of λύω, ἵστημι, τίθημι, and δείκνυμι), and λελυκώς, having loosed (perfect active participle of λύω), are thus declined: —

The accent of the neuter singular appears in βουλεύων, βουλεύουσα, βουλεῦον. (§ 26, N. 2.)

Note. All participles in ων are declined like λύων: for ουσα in the feminine, for οντ-σα, see § 16, 6, N. 1. Participles in ους are declined like λύων, except in the nominative and vocative singular; as διδούς, διδοῦσα, διδόν, giving; gen. διδόντος, διδούσης; dat. διδόντι, διδούσῃ, &c. Aorist active participles in ας are declined like ἱστάς; as λύσας, λύσασα, λῦσαν, having loosed; gen. λύσαντος, λυσάσης; dat. λύσαντι, λυσάσῃ, &c. Aorist passive participles in εις are declined like τιθείς; as λυθείς, λυθεῖσα, λυθέν, loosed; gen. λυθέντος, λυθείσης; dat. λυθέντι, λυθείσῃ, &c. When the accent differs from that of the paradigm, it follows the general principle (§ 25, 1). See § 117, 2.

§ 69.

Participles in άων, έων, and όων are contracted. Τιμάων, τιμῶν, honoring, and φιλέων, φιλῶν, loving, are declined as follows: —

The present participles of verbs in όω (contracted ῶ) are declined like φιλῶν, the contracted form of φιλέων. Thus δηλῶν, δηλοῦσα, δηλοῦν, manifesting; gen. δηλοῦντος, δηλούσης; dat. δηλοῦντι, δηλούσῃ, &c. The uncontracted form of verbs in όω is not used. § 98, Rem.

Note. A few second perfect participles in αώς of the μι-form (§ 124) have αῶσα in the feminine, and retain ω in the oblique cases. They are contracted in Attic; as (ἑσταώς, ἑσταῶσα, ἑσταός), contr. ἑστώς, ἑστῶσα, ἑστός (irregular for ἑστώς), standing; gen. ἑστῶτος, ἑστώσης, ἑστῶτος, &c. But τεθνεώς, τεθνεῶσα, τεθνεός, dead, from θνήσκω, always remains uncontracted. See § 110, iv. (4), N. 3.

The irregular adjectives, μέγας, great, πολύς, much, and πρᾶος, mild, are thus declined: —

Note 1. Most of the forms of μέγας and πολύς are derived from stems in ο, μεγαλο- and πολλο-. Πολλός, ή, όν, is found in Homer and Herodotus, declined regularly throughout. In Homer, πολύς has forms πολέος, πολέες, πολέων, &c., which must not be confounded with Epic forms of πόλις (§ 53, 1, N. 3).

Note 2. Πρᾶος has two stems, one πραο- (written also πρηο-) from which the masculine and neuter are generally formed; and one πραϋ- (never πραυ-) from which the feminine and some other forms come (§ 67, 2). There is an Epic form πρηύς (Lyric πραΰς) coming from the latter stem. The forms belonging to the two stems differ in accent.

I. Comparison by -τερος, -τατος.

§ 71.

Most adjectives add τερος to the stem to form the comparative, and τατος to form the superlative. Stems in ο with a short penult change ο to ω before τερος and τατος. E.g.

Κοῦφος (κουφο-), light, κουφότερος, lighter, κουφότατος, lightest.

Σοφός (σοφο-), wise, σοφώτερος, wiser, σοφώτατος, wisest.

Σεμνός (σεμνο-), august, σεμνότερος, σεμνότατος.

Πικρός (πικρο-), bitter, πικρότερος, πικρότατος.

Ὀξύς (ὀξυ-), sharp, ὀξύτερος, ὀξύτατος.

Μέλας (μελαν-), black, μελάντερος, μελάντατος.

Ἀληθής (ἀληθεσ-), true, ἀληθέστερος, ἀληθέστατος (§ 52, 1).

Note 1. Stems in ο do not lengthen ο to ω if the penultimate vowel is followed by a mute and a liquid (§ 19, 3). See πικρός above.

Note 2. Μέσος, middle, and a few others, drop ος and add αίτερος and αίτατος; as μέσος, μεσαίτερος, μεσαίτατος.

Note 3. Adjectives in οος drop ος and add έστερος and έστατος, which are contracted with ο to ούστερος and ούστατος; as (εὔνοος) εὔνους, well-disposed, εὐνούστερος, εὐνούστατος.

Note 4. Adjectives in ων add έστερος and έστατος to the stem; as σώφρων (σωφρον-), prudent, σωφρονέστερος, σωφρονέστατος.

Note 5. Adjectives in εις change final εντ- of the stem to εσ-, and add τερος and τατος; as χαρίεις (χαριεντ-), graceful, χαριέστερος, χαριέστατος.

II. Comparison by -ίων, -ιστος.

§ 72.

1. Some adjectives in υς and ρος are compared by changing these endings to ίων and ιστος. E.g.

Ἡδύς, sweet, ἡδίων, ἥδιστος.

Ταχύς, swift, ταχίων (commonly θάσσων, § 17, 2, N.), τάχιστος.

Αἰσχρός, base, αἰσχίων, αἴσχιστος.

Ἐχθρός, hostile, ἐχθίων, ἔχθιστος.

Κυδρός (poet.), glorious, κυδίων, κύδιστος.

Note. Some adjectives have both ίων, ιστος and τερος, τατος.

2. Comparatives in ίων, neuter ιον, are thus declined: —

Note 1. The terminations -ιονα, -ιονες, -ιονας may drop ν, and be contracted into -ιω and -ιους (§ 47, N. 1). The vocative singular of these comparatives seems not to occur. For the recessive accent in the neuter singular, see § 25, 1, Note.

Note 2. The irregular comparatives in ων (§ 73) are declined like ἡδίων.

III. Irregular Comparison.

§ 73.

1. The following are the most important cases of irregular comparison: —

Ionic or poetic forms are in ( ).

Note. Irregularities in the comparison of the following words will be found in the Lexicon: — αἰσχρός, ἀλγεινός, ἅρπαξ, ἄφθονος, ἄχαρις, βαθύς, βλάξ, βραδύς, γεραιός, γλυκύς, ἐπιλήσμων, ἐπίχαρις, ἥσυχος, ἴδιος, ἴσος, λάλος, μάκαρ, μακρός, νέος, παλαιός, παχύς, πέπων, πίων, πλησίος, πρέσβυς, προὔργου, πρώιος, σπουδαῖος, σχολαῖος, ψευδής, ὠκύς.

2. Some comparatives and superlatives have no positive, but their stem generally appears in an adverb or preposition. E.g.

Ἀνώτερος, upper, ἀνώτατος, uppermost, from ἄνω, up; πρότερος, former, πρῶτος or πρώτιστος, first, from πρό, before; κατώτερος, lower, κατώτατος, lowest, from κάτω, downward.

See in the Lexicon ἀγχίτερος, ἀφάρτερος, κερδίων, ὁπλότερος, προσώτερος, ῥίγιον (neuter), ὑπέρτερος, ὕστερος, ὑψίων, φαάντερος, with their regular superlatives; also ἔσχατος and κήδιστος.

3. Comparatives and superlatives may be formed from nouns, and even from pronouns. E.g.

Βασιλεύς, king, βασιλεύτερος, a greater king, βασιλεύτατος, the greatest king; κλέπτης, thief, κλεπτίστερος, κλεπτίστατος; κύων, dog, κύντερος, more impudent, κύντατος, most impudent. So αὐτός, self, αὐτότατος, his very self, ipsissimus.