I’ve been doing a good deal of working out lately, and referring to the muscles in the arms, so the terms “biceps” and “triceps” come up now and again. I’ve noticed that many are under the unfortunate impression that “bicep” or “tricep” is some sort of singular, when of course “biceps” is the nominative singular, genetive bicipitis, from bi + caput.
So, therefore the plural is either “bicipites” or “bicipita” — in English, since biceps is merely a Latin adjective, should we use the m/f or neuter plural form? I suppose musculi bicipites would justify the m/f form “bicipites” in English.
I shall only observe that the plural is certainly not “bicipita.” bicipitia, however, would be possible. On the merits or demerits of importing such plurals into English I offer no opinion.
Really? Can you remind me of the rule on that? I can think of plenty of neuter plural third declension adjectives with -ia ending, but is that true for all?
(I’m reading from my grammar as I write this.) “All” adjectives of the third declension are declined as the i-stems (e.g. puppis), except that the m. and f. acc. sing. end in -em, not -im. Thus abl. sing. in -Ä«, gen. pl. in -ium, and neut. nom. pl. in -ia.
There are exceptions, namely dÄ«ves, pauper, prÄ«nceps, pÅ«bÄ“s, senex and vetus. However, all of these, except the last, lack a neuter plural. That leaves “vetera” as the sole counter example.
Salve Luci
As Alatius says, “biceps” is like “grouse” in English where the singular and plural forms are the same. (Same with certain other ‘foreign’ words “grouse”, “trout”, “cod”, “brace”, “dozen”, “gross” or Anglo Saxon neuters “deer”, “sheep”, “swine” which had the same form in the plural, and “species” is the same lettering in both English and Latin singular and plurals.) Nothing stopping you using the Latin plural “musculi bicipites (brachii)” in English, of course, or “bicipites”, as you say.
Ut dicit Alatius, “biceps” verbum Anglicè “grouse” verbo simile est, ut aequum utrisque verbum est numeri singulis et numeri pluralis. (Idem est quod ad alia verba quoddam et mutuata.)
As Bedwere says, the neuter substantive meaning of “biceps” has a grammatical meaning (“Two consecutive short positions before a princeps”). So “bicipitia” is out, indeed.
Ut dicit Bedwere, verbum “biceps” generis neutri (plurali numeri “bicipitia”) sensum grammaticum habet. Exim, de musculis dicendo, “bicipitia” audire nolimus.
