Re: CHAT: Worse Greek 102 (was: Bad Latin 101)
| From: | John Cowan <jcowan@...> |
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| Date: | Friday, February 2, 2001, 16:13 |
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Georgius scripsit:
> The latter form has always puzzled me. _Viri_ is understandable, from
> thinking it's an o-stem,
It *is* an o-stem, a neuter o-stem (there are a few others). But it's
a mass noun meaning 'poison, slime, gunk' and no plural is recorded.
(English uses "viruses" for the pl. of the modern sense.)
> but whence the second _i_ in _virii_? This
> would require an underlying singular form _**virius_.
Indeed. Priscian's head shrinks, cracks.
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