168. A word may be lightened by the disappearance of an initial,
a medial, or a final consonant.
Disappearance of an initial consonant is sometimes called _Aphaeresis_,
of a medial, _Syncope_, of a final, _Apocope_.
169. INITIAL DISAPPEARANCE. (1.) Initial #tl# changed to #l#: as,
#lātus#, _borne_, for #*tlātus# from #tollō# (187, 917).
(2.) Initial #gn# changed to #n#: as, #nātus#, _born_, for earlier
GNATVS from the stem #gen-#, #gnā# (187); #nōscō#, _I find out_, for
#gnōscō#, GNOSCIER (897); #nārus#, _knowing_, for the more frequent
#gnārus#, #nāvus#, _active_, for #gnāvus#. Cf. the compounds
#cō-gnātus#, #cō-gnōscō#, #ī-gnārus#, #ī-gnāvus# (170, 6) which preserve
the #g#. But #Gnaeus# retained its #G#.
(3.) Initial #d# when followed by consonant #i# (_i̭_), disappeared: as,
#Iovis#, #Iūpiter#, for #*Di̭ovis#, #*Di̭ūpiter#. Where the #i# was
vocalic, #d# was retained: as, #dīus#.
(4.) Initial #stl-# first changed to #sl# and then to #l#: as, Old Latin
#stlocus#, _place_, #stlīs#, _law-suit_ (Quint. 1, 4, 16), STLOC, SLIS,
classical #locus#, #līs#; also #lātus#, _wide_, for #*stlātus#. That a
form #*slocus# existed is proved by #īlicō# (698, 703) from #*in-slocō#,
_on the spot_ (170, 2).
170. MEDIAL DISAPPEARANCE. (1.) #c#, #g#, #p#, and #b# disappear before
#s# followed by an unvoiced consonant: as, #sescentī#, _six hundred_,
for #*sexcentī# from #sex#; #illūstris#, _resplendent_, for
#*illūcstris# from #lūceō#; #discō#, _I learn_, from #*dicscō# for
#*di-tc-scō# (834), a reduplicated present from the root #dec-#
(cf. #decet#) like #gignō# (from the root #gen-#), and #sīdō# (for
#*si-sd-ō#, 170, 2, from the root #sed-#, 829). Sometimes prepositions
follow this rule: as, #asportō#, _I carry off_, for #*absportō#,
#suscipiō#, _I undertake_, for #*subscipiō# (#subs# formed from #sub#
like #abs# from #ab#; #sub-cipiō# gives #succipiō#); occasionally also
#ecferō#, for #exferō#, _I carry out_. But more frequently prepositional
compounds remain unchanged: as, #obscūrus#, _dark_; #abscēdō#, _I
withdraw_. In some words the lost consonant has been restored by
analogy: as, #sextus#, _sixth_, for #*sestus# (cf. #Sēstius#) after
#sex#; #textor#, _weaver_, for #*testor# after #texō#.
(2.) #s# before voiced consonants was voiced (75) and is dropped. If a
consonant precedes the #s# this is dropped also. In either case the
preceding vowel is lengthened. Voiced #s# alone is dropped: as,
#prīmus#, _first_, for #*prīs-mus# (cf. #prīs-cus#); #cānus#, _gray_,
for #*casnus# (cf. #cas-cus#); adverb #pōne#, _behind_, for #*posne#
(cf. #pos#, 1410); #dīlābī#, _glide apart_, for #*dislābi#; #īdem#, _the
same_, for ISDEM (678); #iūdex#, _judge_, for #iūsdex#; #trēdecim#,
_thirteen_, for #*trēsdecim#. And with subsequent shortening of the
final syllable (130, 3) #abin#, _goest thou?_ for #abisn(e)#; #viden#,
_seest thou?_ for #vidēsn(e)#. Voiced #s# with the preceding consonant
is dropped: as, #trādūcō#, _I lead across_, #trānō#, _I swim across_,
for #trānsdūcō#, #trānsnō#; but in these prepositional compounds the
#-ns# was often retained: as, #trānsmittō#, _I send across_; #sēnī#,
_six each_, for #*secsnī#; #sēmēnstris#, _every six months_, for
#secsmēnstris#; #sēvirī#, _the Board of Six_, for #secsvirī#; #āla#,
_wing_, for #*acsla# (cf. #ax-illa#, Cic. _O._ 153); #māvolō# (779) for
#magsvolō# from #magisvolō#, 396; #tōles# (plural), _goiter_, for
#*tōnsles# (cf. #tōnsillae#, _tonsils_); #pīlum#, _pestle_, for
#*pīnslum# from #pīnsere#, _crush_; two consonants and voiced #s# are
dropped in #scāla#, _stair_, for #*scand-sla# (cf. #scandō#).
(3.) #c# falls away when it stands between a liquid and #t#, #s#, #m#,
or #n#: as, #ultus#, _avenged_, for #*ulctus# from #ulc-iscor# (980);
#mulsī# for #*mulcsī# from both #mulgeō#, _I milk_, and #mulceō#, _I
stroke_; similarly other stems in #-c# and #-g# (1000, 1014); #quernus#,
_oaken_, for #*quercnus# from #quercus#; #tortus#, _turned_, for
#*torctus# from #torqueō# (for the change of #qu# to #c#, see 158); for
#fortis#, _brave_, #forctis# is found in old Latin.
(4.) #c# drops out when it stands between #n# and #t#: as, #quīntus#,
_fifth_, for older #quīnctus# (2412), from #quīnque# (for the change of
#qu# to #c#, see 158; for the long #ī# in #quīnque#, see 122, _b_). But
verbs having stems in #-nc# or #-ng# retain the #c# in their past
participles: as, #vīnctus#, _bound_, from #vincīre# (1014); #iūnctus#,
_joined_, from #iungere# (954). In #pāstus# (965) #c# has dropped out
between #s# and #t#.
(5.) The group #-ncn-# was simplified to simple #-n-#, and the preceding
vowel was lengthened: as, #quīnī#, _five each_, for #*quīnc-nī# (317);
#cō-nīveō#, _wink and blink_, for #con-cnīveō#.
(6.) #n# before #gn# was dropped and the preceding vowel lengthened: as,
#ī-gnōscō#, _I forgive_, for #*in-gnōscō#, #cō-gnōscō#, _I know_, for
#*con-gnōscō#. In this manner (170, 5; 6) arises a form #cō-# by the
side of #con-# (122, _e_): as, #cō-nectō#, #cō-nubium#, #cō-ligātus#
(Gell. 2, 17, 8).
(7.) In the imperial age, #ss# after long vowels and diphthongs was
regularly changed to #s#: as, #clausī#, _I closed_; #ūsus#, _used_
(166, 2); but always #ēsse#, _to eat_ (769); #ll# changed to #l# after
diphthongs: as, #caelum#, _chisel_ (166, 6); also when preceded by #ī#
and followed by #i#: as, #vīlla#, _country-place_, but #vīlicus#
(adject.); #mille#, _thousand_, but #mīlia# (642). Elsewhere #ll# was
retained after long vowels: as, #pūllus# (166, 7), _clean_; #rāllum#,
_ploughshare_, from #rādō# with suffix #-lo-# (209). In Cicero’s time
(Quint. 1, 7, 20) the spelling was still #caussa# (155, _b_), _matter_;
#cāssus# (930), _fallen_; #divīssiō# (cf. 912), _division_. Vergil also,
according to Quintilian, retained the doubled consonants, and the best
manuscripts of both Vergil and Plautus frequently show #ll# and #ss# for
later #l# and #s#, as do inscriptions: as, PROMEISSERIT, _he might have
promised_ (49 B.C.); ACCVSSASSE, _to have accused_.
(8.) After a long vowel #d# was dropped before consonant #u# (#v#): as,
#svāvis#, _sweet_, for #*svādvis# from #svād-# (cf. #svādeō#).
(9.) #r# before #st# was dropped: as, #tostus#, _roasted_ (1004) for
#*torstus# from the stem #tors-# (cf. #torreo# with assimilated #-rs-#,
166, 8).
(10.) #-rts-# changed to #-rs#: as, #arsī#, _I burnt_, for #*artsī#
(1000). #-rcsc-# changed to #-sc-#: as, #poscō#, _I demand_, for
#*porcscō# (834).
(11.) In #ipse#, _self_, for #*is-pse#, an #s# has disappeared before
#-ps-#
(12.) #d# (#t#) disappears between #r# and #c#: as, #cor-culum# for
#cord(i)-culum# (275).
171. FINAL DISAPPEARANCE. (1.) A word never ends in a doubled consonant:
as, #es# for #*es-s#, _thou art_, which Plautus and Terence still scan
as a long syllable; and the following cases of assimilation: #ter# for
#*terr# from #*ters# (cf. #terr-uncius#, _a quarter of an_ #ās#, _a
farthing_, 1272, for #*ters-uncius#, 166, 8); #fār#, _spelt_, for
#*farr#, from #*fars# (489); #fel#, _gall_, for #*fell#, from #*fels#
(482); in #mīles#, _soldier_, for #*mīless# from #*mīlets# (cf. Gen.
#mīlitis#, 477) the final syllable is still long in Plautus. #hoc#,
_this_, for #*hocc# from #*hod-c(e)#(the neuter #*hod# from the stem
#ho-#, as #istud#, #illud# (107, _c_) from #isto-#, #illo-#) counts as a
long syllable even in classical poetry.
(2.) No Latin word can end in two explosives: thus, final #t# is dropped
in #lac#, _milk_ (478); final #d# in #cor#, _heart_ (476).
(3.) When final #s# was preceded by #r# or #l#, it was assimilated to
these liquids, and final #rr# and #ll# were then simplified to #r# and
#l#. See the examples under (1). Wherever final #-rs# and #-ls# appear
they are not original but the result of the disappearance of an
intervening consonant: as, #puls#, _pottage_, for #*pults# (533);
#pars#, _part_, for #*parts# (533); all with syncope (111) of the vowel
#i# in the nominative #sg#.
(4.) Original final #ns# was changed to #s# and the preceding vowel was
lengthened: as, #sanguīs#, _blood_ (2452), for #*sanguins# from the stem
#sanguin-# (486). Wherever final #-ns# appears it is not original but
the result of the disappearance of an intervening consonant: as,
#ferēns#, _carrying_, for #*ferents#, from the stem #ferent-#; #frōns#,
_foliage_, for #*fronds#, from the stem #frond-#.
(5.) A dental mute before final #s# is dropped: as, #hērēs#, _heir_, for
#*hērēds# (475); #virtūs#, _virtue_, for #*virtūts# (477); #nox#,
_night_, for #*nocts# (533); a labial or guttural mute is retained: as,
#fornāx# (#x# = #cs#), _furnace_, from the stem #fornāc-# (531); #lēx#,
_law_, from the stem #leg-# (472); #urbs#, _city_, from the stem #urb-#
(480); #ops# from the stem #op-#, _help_ (480).
[Errata:
170.2 ... #iūdex#, _judge_, for #iūsdex#;
#iūsdex#,
#abin#, _goest thou?_ for #abisn(e)#;
#abisn(e)#,]