Pluris

Latin Learning Latin
1

I’m reviewing vocabulary in previous chapters of Orberg’s LLPSI and have a sentence I want to confirm the construction of.

Nonne liberos pluris aestimas quam merces istas?

Don’t you value the children more than those goods?

‘pluris’ is genitive case. It’s an adjective and it’s not agreeing with anything.

Are not your children OF greater value than those goods..?

2

I think that a few pages (or chapters?) back its mentioned in the side notes that aestimare goes sometimes with genitive to specify how much.
“Mercatores merces suas magni aestimant, vitam nautarum parvi aestimant” for example.

So “Nonne liberos pluris aestimas quam merces istas” would be “do you not value children more than these merchandise?”

3

Lewis and Short cite a very similar construction from Cornelius Nepos’ Life of Cato in the entry for aestimo:

  • quod non minoris aestimamus quam quemlibet [amplissimum Sardiniensem] triumphum

So yes, this is a “genitive of price”.

4

Allen & Greenough sec. 120, see note c.:

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0001%3Asmythp%3D120

Also sec. 417:

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0001%3Asmythp%3D417

5

Many thanks. I’m a forgetful student.