User:Urszag/River names in -a

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According to Zumpt's grammar, river names ending in -a are mostly masculine in Latin, following the general trend for river names, but some are used as feminine, and that usage becomes more widespread later on.

Notes on the gender of river names appear in A treatise of the genders of Latin nouns: by way of examination of Lilly's Grammar rules..., by Richard JOHNSON, 1703

Here is a list of Latin river names of this form; I plan to go through them eventually to find examples of usage that would indicate the gender:

Attested as masculine (not sure if attested as feminine):

  • Albula - attested as masculine. Johnson says attested as feminine in "qua Tiburis arces canaque sulphureis Albula fumat aquis" (Mar I i Ep 13) and in Ovid Fast 1. 4. p. 61 "Et tanto est Albula pota deo."

Others in Johnson:

Added cite from Pliny's Natural Histories:

  • Aduna
  • Armua
  • Tusca
  • Brixa ("Brixa et Ortacia amnibus", Naturalis Historia 6.136.5)
  • Lesura (only Naturalis Historia 11.240.3, "Lesurae Gabalicoque pagis, sed brevis...")

Mentioned in Pliny's Natural Histories (possibly briefly):

Mentioned in Caesar:

  • Axona (looks like only in appositive "flumen Axona")
  • Cinga

Mentioned in Tacitus:

  • Avona (Tacitus: "Avonam <inter> et Sabrinam fluvios cohibere parat", Annales 12.31.9)
  • Nabalia ("Nabaliae fluminis pons, in cuius abrupta progressi duces")
  • Corma ("flumine Corma", Annales 12.14.2)
  • Sabrina (quote above)
  • Adrana -- gender seems unattested.

Mentioned in another PHI text:

Not mentioned in any PHI texts:

Not gone through yet:

Bonus lists:

Indeclinable river names:

Neuter river names:

Declinable river names ending in a liquid:

River names not in Wiktionary yet?:

  • Histrum/Histrus?
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