unguis – Latin noun declension

Noun: unguis
Hyphenation:

Gender: Masculine Declension: Third

Nominative

Singular	unguis
Plural	unguēs

Genitive

Singular	unguis
Plural	unguium

Dative

Singular	unguī
Plural	unguibus

Accusative

Singular	unguem
Plural	unguēs; unguīs

Ablative

Singular	ungue; unguī
Plural	unguibus

Vocative

Singular	unguis
Plural	unguēs

Sample Sentences

Iamque satur nigrīs longum rapit unguibus hydrum (And now, having eaten his fill [of figs], [the raven] snatches up a long water-snake in his black talons.) [8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 2.257]

Nouns inflected like unguis

subclassis, birēmis, novālis, superclassis, quadrirēmis, quīnquerēmis, classis, vōcālis, amnis, auris, fīnis, orbis, cīvis, rudis, nātālis, sēmivōcālis, trirēmis, maiālis, majālis, mataris, etc. (List truncated at 20 nouns)

Etymology

1. According to De Vaan, from the Proto-Indo-European u-stem *h₃n̥gʰ-u-, itself from *h₃negʰ- (“nail”). The u-stem was secondarily remade into an i-stem later in Italic. The derivation of this term from the zero-grade *h₃n̥gʰ could serve as an example of Rix's Law, according to which *#h₃NC- would yield #oNC-. Höfler, who rejects the existence of Rix's Law in Latin, alternatively suggests schwebeablaut in the root as an explanation, in which case the term would continue *h₃enbʰ-.In support of this theory, Höfler cites Sanskrit वण्क्रि (váṇkri, “rib”) (< *wénk-ri-) beside व॒क्र (vakrá, “crooked”) (< *wn̥k-ró-) as evidence for the existence for the existence of secondary full-grades in i-stem derivatives. He also cites Sanskrit अङ्घ्रि (áṅghri) (perhaps from *h₃engʰwi-) as evidence for schwebeablaut in the particula root *h₃negʰ- itself. Schrijver, however, rejects schwebeablaut as a possible explanation, arguing that this phenomenon cannot occur within the same paradigm.
2. Cognates include Ancient Greek ὄνυξ (ónux), Old Irish ingen, Sanskrit नख (nakhá, “claw, nail”), Old Armenian եղունգն (ełungn), Old Church Slavonic ногъть (nogŭtĭ), Lithuanian nagas, Persian ناخن (nâxon), Albanian nyell, and Old English næġl (English nail). See: Ancient Greek Nouns 'ὄνυξ'.

Verbs referencing "unguis"

English Nouns nail, Ancient Greek Nouns ὄνυξ, English Nouns ungual, English Nouns unguis, French Nouns unguis, Irish Nouns ionga, English Nouns ungiectomy.