malus, -i, f.

Latin Learning Latin
1

Can anyone teach me about the feminine noun malus, -i ?

I am familiar with:
malus, -a, -um (the adjective meaning evil, etc.)
malum, -i, neuter (a noun meaning apple, fruit, etc.)
malus, -i, masculine (a noun meaning a tall pole, ship’s mast, etc.)

but I have come upon malus, -i, feminine, a noun meaning apple tree. My dictionary says only that it is derived from the Greek μηλέα and was used by Virgil. All three of the nouns have a long ‘a’ (unlike the adjective which has a short ‘a’) after the m.

Does it decline like any other second declension noun?

If I had an evil apple tree would it be a mala malus?

I have seen, of course, masculine nouns of the first declension, but I am not familiar with any feminine nouns of the second declension. Are there others?

Thank you

Ed D

2

malus, -i would be declined like any normal second declension masculine noun. It’s really a back-formation from malum, -i and follows the common theme of having the names of trees as feminine second declension nouns.

If I had an evil apple tree would it be a mala malus?

Why yes it would! Now you can understand (as well as one can hope to) the facetia malo malo malo malo which tenuously means “I’d rather be in an apple-tree than a wicked man in adversity”. Sorry…

I have seen, of course, masculine nouns of the first declension, but I am not familiar with any feminine nouns of the second declension. Are there others?

Yes, there are several others, most are names of trees. Some examples:

bratus, -i “cypress (?)”
carbasus, -i “linen” (but neuter in the plural)
cerasus, -i “cherry-tree”
colus, -i “distaff”
cupressus, -i “cypress”
humus, -i “ground”
laurus, -i “laurel”
pinus, -i “pine”
pirus, -i “pear-tree”
pomus, -i “(fruit-bearing) tree”
populus, -i “poplar tree”
stobrus/storbus, -i “gum-tree”
uannus, -i “a type of basket”
ulmus, -i “elm”

Some second declension place names are also feminine, such as Aegyptus, Delos and Corinthus. Greek loan-words, such as methodus, also sometimes have deceptive gender, and some of the gender-bending nouns previously listed are from Greek as well.

3

Benissimus,
Thank you! I could not find the answer myself anywhere, and your explanation is interesting.

Ah, my problem is that I have seen some of these words but failed to recognize that their gender was feminine.

Hehe, this could fit in with the “that that that that that” thread as well!

(Ugh, two exclamation marks in one post. I’m ashamed of myself, but I do appreciate the help!)

4

You’re just excitable; that’s no sin. It makes you more like me. :smiley:

5

facetia malo malo malo malo which tenuously means “I’d rather be in an apple-tree than a wicked man in adversity”. Sorry…

Do you know of its origin?

6

No, but I have a feeling it came out around the same time as semper ubi sub ubi and Caesar adsum jam forte, Pompei aderat (Caesar 'ad some jam for tea, Pompey 'ad a rat). The first time I saw it was in Wheelock’s Latin and I have since seen it around the internet, but as far as I know it could have originated there.

7

shudders This is why I can’t stand Harry Potter.

8

Well, then you can certainly appreciate [u]this[/u].

9

shudders once more :

Riddikulus
A spell used when fighting a Boggart, Riddikulus forces the Boggart to take the appearance of what the spellcaster is thinking as amusing so that the laughter will weaken it. First seen in PoA. The Latin word “riddiculus” means “exciting laughter” or simply “laughter”. It is pronounced with a hard “c”.

Quid? A “hard ‘c’,” eh? Well! it’s a good thing you mentioned that! I have gotten confused! because you know how often we English speakers pronounce a soft ‘c’ before a vowel like ‘u’! Ō diī bonī …!

À propos, what is the obsession of modern magic with Latin spells? Not that I mind; I’m glad the language is being used in such an artful manner, but considering that most pagans draw on Celtic religion for their magic, and that Latin remains and ever has been the tongue of the Catholic Church which they so often tend to villify, it seems a bit out of place. Granted, their were plenty of spells in the Roman religion, but does anyone have a fair explanation?

10

I’m glad you mentioned that Luce, will Harrius ever villify Ginny Weasley? But then again we come back to my favourite Senecae Minoris line QVIS EST CVI…, and armed with an invisibility cloak I say flipendo!!

I have to say, I love Harrius Potter. The spells make me chuckle even after a stressful day at swedish habbo hotel! I would prefer there to be signs around the castle in dog latin. Di Magni do I love dog latin! where is cweb255 when you need him yes I said SEE VEB PENTE PENTE DUOIN haha

11

I’m just guessing, but I’ve always assumed it had something to do with medieval alchemists who used Latin and always seemed somewhat mystical.

On the other hand, I once heard someone suggest that “hocus pocus” was a corruption of Catholic saying, or chant or something (I don’t recall the original), so maybe there is Church connection.

12

hocus pocus is perhaps from “hoc est corpus”

13

A crazy monk chanting in dark cripts seems pretty spooky.



No, but I have a feeling it came out around the same time as semper ubi sub ubi and Caesar adsum jam forte, Pompei aderat (Caesar 'ad some jam for tea, Pompey 'ad a rat). The first time I saw it was in Wheelock’s Latin and I have since seen it around the internet, but as far as I know it could have originated there.

I saw ‘malo…’ featured in Britten’s opera “Turn of the Screw”, produced in 1954..

14

but considering that most pagans draw on Celtic religion for their magic, and that Latin remains and ever has been the tongue of the Catholic Church which they so often tend to villify, it seems a bit out of place. Granted, their were plenty of spells in the Roman religion, but does anyone have a fair explanation?

Actually, I believe that most neo-pagans draw upon Celtic imagery rather than Celtic religion. The ‘magic’ they use is drawn from Mediterranean sources (Kabbalah, Egyptian, Christian Mysticism). Not really Celtic at all.

This is why many religion reconstructionists are wary of the claims of Wicca being an ‘ancient’ religion much less Celtic. Not to mention Wicca is an Anglo-Saxon word. :unamused:

CH

15

From the Oxford Latin Grammar by James Morwood, p. 138:

This ditty is sung in “The Turn of the Screw”, the opera by Benjamin Britten and Myfanwy Piper. According to Piper, Britten himself supplied this ‘from an old-fashioned Latin grammar that an aunt of mine produced.’

Malo: I would rather be
Malo: in an apple-tree
Malo: than a naughty boy
Malo: in adversity.

16

Sorry to resurrect this ancient thread, but I happened upon the “malo, malo, malo, malo” thing and remembered this conversation from a couple of years ago:





I found it in two older sources:

Gamosagammon by Hon. Hugh Rowley, 1870:

Old Glasgow and Its Environs by Robert Reid, 1864:

Both reference suggest that it is already fairly well-known by the mid-19th Century. I thought the second reference was interesting because it extends the phrase to seven “malo’s,” though not seven unique uses, and I’m not convinced the word order would really be intelligible to a native speaker. [It still doesn’t beat English’s 11 consecutive uses of “had,” though].