Aprilis

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See also: április and aprīlis

Latin

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Perhaps based on Etruscan 𐌖𐌓𐌐𐌀 (apru), from Ancient Greek Ἀφροδίτη (Aphrodítē, “Venus”).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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Aprīlis (neuter Aprīle); third-declension two-termination adjective

  1. Of April.
    • 44 BCE – 43 BCE, Cicero, Philippicae 2.93.6, (This can be understood either as an accusative plural adjective in -īs[1] or a genitive singular noun in -is):
      Tu autem quadringentiens sestertium quod Idibus Martiis debuisti quonam modo ante Kalendas Aprilis debere desisti?
    • 27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab Urbe Condita 25.1.12.4:
      Is et in contione senatus consultum recitavit et edixit ut quicumque libros vaticinos precationesve aut artem sacrificandi conscriptam haberet eos libros omnes litterasque ad se ante kalendas Apriles deferret neu quis in publico sacrove loco novo aut externo ritu sacrificaret.
    • 27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab Urbe Condita 29.14.14.2:
      Eae per manus, succedentes deinde aliae aliis, omni obuiam effusa ciuitate, turibulis ante ianuas positis qua praeferebatur atque accenso ture precantibus ut volens propitiaque urbem Romanam iniret, in aedem Victoriae quae est in Palatio pertulere deam pridie idus Apriles; isque dies festus fuit.
    • 27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab Urbe Condita 44.19.4.2:
      Et ne quid profectionem suam teneret, pridie idus Apriles Latinis esse constitutam diem.
    • 8 CE, Ovid, Fasti 4.621:
      Occupat Apriles Idus cognomine Victor / Iuppiter: hac illi sunt data templa die.
    • c. 77 CE – 79 CE, Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia 10.124.2:
      Hoc gestum M. Servilio C. Cestio cos. a. d. V kal. Apriles.
    • c. 77 CE – 79 CE, Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia 17.189.4:
      Quidam ita determinant: veterem semel a vindemia ante brumam, cum alii ablaqueare et stercorare satis put(e)nt, iterum ab idibus Aprilibus, antequam concipiat, hoc est in VI idus Maias; dein prius quam florere incipiat et cum defloruerit et variante se uva.
    • c. 77 CE – 79 CE, Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia 18.169.6:
      Hoc fit Novembri mense incipiente, postea pauci runcant—botanismon vocant—, reliqua pars non nisi cum falce arva visit paulo ante kal. Apriles.

Usage notes

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In Classical Latin, month names were regularly used as adjectives, generally modifying a case-form of mēnsis m sg (“month”) or of one of the nouns used in the Roman calendar to refer to specific days of the month from which other days were counted: Calendae f pl (“calends”), Nōnae f pl (“nones”), Īdūs f pl (“ides”). However, the masculine noun mēnsis could be omitted by ellipsis, so the masculine singular forms of month names eventually came to be used as proper nouns.[2]

The accusative plural adjective forms Aprīlīs, Septembrīs, Octōbrīs, Novembrīs, Decembrīs[3] are ambiguous in writing, being spelled identically to the genitive singular forms of the nouns; nevertheless, the use of ablative singular forms in -ī and comparison with the usage of other month names as adjectives supports the interpretation of -is as an accusative plural adjective ending in Classical Latin phrases such as "kalendas Septembris".[4]

Declension

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Third-declension two-termination adjective.

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masc./Fem. Neuter Masc./Fem. Neuter
Nominative Aprīlis Aprīle Aprīlēs Aprīlia
Genitive Aprīlis Aprīlium
Dative Aprīlī Aprīlibus
Accusative Aprīlem Aprīle Aprīlēs
Aprīlīs 		Aprīlia
Ablative Aprīlī Aprīlibus
Vocative Aprīlis Aprīle Aprīlēs Aprīlia

Proper noun

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Aprīlis m sg (genitive Aprīlis); third declension

  1. April

Declension

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Third-declension noun (i-stem, ablative singular in -ī), singular only.

Case Singular
Nominative Aprīlis
Genitive Aprīlis
Dative Aprīlī
Accusative Aprīlem
Ablative Aprīlī
Vocative Aprīlis

Descendants

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Borrowings

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hanson, J. H. (1870) Preparatory Latin Prose-book..., 21st edition, page 358
  2. ^ Karl Gottlob Zumpt (1853) Leonhard Schmitz, Charles Anthon, transl., A Grammar of the Latin Language, 3rd edition, pages 31, 85
  3. ^ Gaeng, Paul A. (1968) An Inquiry into Local Variations in Vulgar Latin: As Reflected in the Vocalism of Christian Inscriptions, page 183
  4. ^ Frost, P. (1861) The Germania and Agricola of Tacitus, page 161

Further reading

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  • “Aprilis”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “Aprilis”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • Aprilis in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
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