TC Index: Noun Mottoes - More Ablative Case

More of the Ablative. In the previous exercise, you did some work with the ablative case. In this exercise, you'll see some more Latin nouns at work which are especially useful for mottos in the ablative case. So, here is some of that new vocabulary! It is arranged by the different noun declensions so that you can see how the nominative forms and the ablative forms are connected.

Nouns - Declension 1: Remember that or these nouns, the ablative case is indicated by a long ā added to the stem of the noun.  

āla - wing. This is the word that means "wing." As you can guess, the metaphor of the wings that lift you up are a powerful metaphor in the world of mottoes. The ablative form, meaning "on the wing," is ālā. If you want to say "on wings" in the plural, the ablative form is ālīs.

cōnstantia - steadfastness, consistency. This word can refer to individual steadfastness, being reliable and steady,  and it can also refer to consistency and harmony in a group of people. The ablative form, meaning "with steadfastness, steadfastly," is cōnstantiā.

dīligentia - carefulness, diligence. The ablative form, meaning "with carefulness, carefully," is dīligentiā.

discīplīna - learning, studying. As you can see this word is related to the Latin word for student: discipulus (masculine) and discipula (feminine). The ablative form, meaning "by means of learning," is discīplīnā.

industria - action, activity. You can see this Latin root in the English word "industriousness." The ablative form, meaning "by means of activity," is industriā.

patientia - endurance. The ablative form, meaning "by means of endurance," is patientiā.

persevērantia - persistence. The ablative form, meaning "by means of persistence, persistently," is persevērantiā.

prūdentia - insight, good sense. The ablative form, meaning "with insight, wisely," is prūdentiā.

scientia - knowledge. This Latin word is the origin of our English word "science." The ablative form, meaning "by means of knowledge," is scientiā.

vigilantia - alertness. The ablative form, meaning "in a state of alertness," is vigilantiā.

Nouns - Declension 2: Remember that for these nouns, the ablative case is indicated by a long ō added to the stem of the noun. 

arātrum - plow. In the agricultural economy of ancient Rome, the plow was an object that stood for hard work and productivity in a general sense. The ablative form, meaning "with a plow," is arātrō.

cōnsilium - planning. The ablative form, meaning "with a plan," is cōnsiliō. If you want to say "with plans, by means of planning" in the plural, the ablative form is cōnsiliīs.

gladius - sword. You  can see this Latin root in the English flower name, "gladiolus" - also known as the "sword lily." The ablative form, meaning "by the sword," is gladiō.

ingenium - talent. This refers to an "in-born" talent, in-gen-ium. The ablative form, meaning "by means of talent," is ingeniō.

silentium - silence. The ablative form, meaning "by means of silent, silently," is silentiō.

vōtum - vow, wish. You can see this Latin root in the English words "devout" and "devotion<' for example. The ablative form, meaning "by means of wishing," is vōtō. If you want to say "with vows, wishes" in the plural, the ablative form is vōtīs.

Nouns - Declension 3: For these nouns, the ablative case is indicated by a short e added to the stem of the noun. Remember that you you need to use the dictionary to help you find the stem of these nouns.

corpus - body. The ablative form, meaning "with the body," is corpore.

ēnsis - sword. Compared to the word gladium (above), the word ēnsis is a more poetic word for "sword." The ablative form, meaning "by the sword," is ēnse.

integritas - innocence, integrity. The ablative form, meaning "with integrity," is integritāte.

lex - law. The ablative form, meaning "by means of the law, legally," is lēge. If you want to say "by means of the laws" in the plural, the ablative form is lēgibus. (Notice that the ablative plural ending for the third declension nouns, -ibus, is different from the ablative plural ending for the first and second declension nouns, -īs.)

Mars - Mars. The name of the god of war could also stand metaphorically for war itself! The ablative form, meaning "by means of war," is Marte.

probitas - reliability. The ablative form, meaning "with reliability, reliably," is probitāte.

sēdulitas - purposefulness. The ablative form, meaning "purposefully," is sēdulitāte.

sincēritas - honesty, sincerity. The ablative form, meaning "with sincerity, sincerely," is sincēritāte.

Nouns - Declension 4: Remember that for these nouns, the ablative case is indicated by a long ū added to the stem of the noun. These nouns are not very common, but there is a good one that you will find used in the ablative in mottoes, and here it is:

arcus - bow. The ablative form, meaning "by means of the bow," is arcū.

Nouns - Declension 5: Remember that for these nouns, the ablative case is indicated by a long ē added to the stem of the noun. Although there are not a lot of these fifth declension nouns in Latin, one of the most common of Latin words follows this pattern. Here it is:

rēs - a real thing. The ablative form, meaning "by means of something real, really" is rē.

Nouns - Plural Only: Some nouns in Latin are found only in the plural. This happens in English, too, of course - just think of pants, scissors, pliers, tongs, etc. So, here is an important word you will find in mottoes which is only found in the plural:

arma - weapons. This is the same root you see in the English word "army." The ablative form, meaning "by means of weapons," is armīs.

So, here are some example of ablative mottoes using this new vocabulary and some of the old vocabulary, too. Now that you've got a new set of words (and sounds!) to work with, why don't you see if you can come up with some more mottoes using the ablative case! Here are the new ablative mottoes that I came up with for myself, if you are curious.

VIGILANTIĀ

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(BY MEANS OF) ALERTNESS

ANIMŌ ET CORPORE

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(WITH) SOUL AND BODY

SILENTIŌ ET SPĒ

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(IN) SILENCE AND HOPE

DISCĪPLĪNĀ, FIDĒ, PERSEVĒRANTIĀ

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(BY MEANS OF) LEARNING, FAITH (AND) PERSISTENCE