Lectio quadragesima prima

Dē corporis partibus (conclūditur)

On the Parts of the Body (conclusion)

Brāchia humerīs cōnectuntur1, et manūs ferunt.

The arms are connected to the shoulders, and bear the hands.

Veterēs2 Rōmānī prandentēs vel cēnantēs in lectīs trīclīniāribus3 accumbēbant, et sinistrō cubitō4 innītēbantur5.

The ancient Romans, [while] lunching or dining, reclined on tricliniary couches, and rested on the left elbow.

Plūrimī hominēs manū dextrā scrībunt; scaevae autem sinistra6.

Most people write with the right hand; left-handers, on the other hand, with the left.

Pollex7 cēterīs digitīs ita oppōnitur ut rēs facile prehendere possīmus.

The thumb is placed opposite to the other fingers in such a way that we may grasp things easily.

Digitīs contractīs, pugnum facimus et pugnāre possumus. Pugnae pugilum pugilātūs8 vocantur.

By [drawing together] the fingers (drawn-together) we make a fist and can fight. The fights of boxers are called boxing.

Multae manūs onus9 levant. Sī compressīs manibus sēdēs, nūllum opus10 perficis11.

Many hands can lift a burden. If you sit with folded hands, (no work) you accomplish [nothing].

Crūris summa pars femen seu femur12 vocātur, mediā genū, īma sūra. Tālus est pars posterior pedis.

The top part of the leg is called the thigh or femur, the middle one the knee, the bottom one the calf. The ankle is the hindmost part of the foot.

Tībia est crūris os; est etiam īnstrūmentum mūsicum, quod tībia ā Rōmānīs vocābātur, quia ex osse cōnstābat.

The tibia is a bone of the leg; it is also a musical instrument, which was called tibia (flute) by the Romans, because it [was made of] (consisted of) bone.

Pedes et sūrās adversus frīgus tībiālibus13 vestīmus.

We clothe (our) feet and calves against the cold with socks.

Notes

  1. Conecto, -is, -ere, -nexui, -nexum, to fasten together. If you are an electrician, think of connect and connexion.

  2. Vetus, -eris, adjective of the 2nd class.

    We remind you that these adjectives follow the 3rd declension. Excepting only a few (acer, -cris, -cre, sharp), they have the same forms in the masculine and feminine for all cases, e.g., brevis, m. and f., breve, n., short; the neuter, in addition to its nominative and accusative plurals in -a or -ia, sometimes has a special form for these same cases in the singular. For vetus, the nominative form is common to the three genders. Those who have already studied some Latin should excuse us for occasionally beating a dead horse: these intentional repetitions are not useless for everyone!

  3. Tricliniaris, -e, relating to the dining room or triclinium, which consisted of three couches around a table. This adjective is declined like virilis, -e. It is therefore parisyllabic and forms its nominative and accusative plural in -ia.

  4. Cubitus, -i, m., elbow or cubit (45 cm), cubitus, -us, the act of reclining.

  5. Nitor, -eris, -i, nisus sum, to lean upon, or to strive. Innitor = in + nitor, to rest on (used preferentially when referring to a specific support).

  6. Dexter, -tra, -trum, right (as opposed to left: if you have forgotten sinister, refer to L. 16, N. 9). Scaeva, -ae, m., left-handed person.

  7. Pollex, -icis, m., thumb; pollice verso, literally thumb down, means: “No mercy!” Digitus, -i, m., literally finger, was also used as a unit of measure, finger’s breadth, inch.

  8. Pugnus, -i, m., fist; pugna, -ae, f., a fight. Pugil, -ilis, m., pugilist (boxer); pugilatus, -us, m., boxing.

  9. Onus, -eris, n., burden.

  10. Opus, operis, n, work, done or to do; labor, -oris, m., work, the activity and the effort required.

  11. Perficio, -is, -ere, -feci, perfectum = per + facio, to do thoroughly, complete: the perfect tense (perfectum) indicates that the action is completed.

  12. Femen, -inis, n., thigh or femur, -oris, n., thighbone.

  13. Frigus, -oris, n., [the] cold. Tibialis, -e, relating to the lower part of the leg, in other words stockings or socks. In the winter, the Romans wore fasciae tibiales, i.e. shin bands. Here we have used the adjective as a noun: in this case the neuter form is used because we are referring to a thing.

Cerevisia or Cervisia has given the Spanish word for beer, cerveza.

Animal, -alis, n., nominative and accusative plural in -ia and genitive plural in -ium: nouns in -al and -ar were formerly in -ale and -are: these “false imparisyllabics” follow therefore the parisyllabic declension.

Fons, fontis, m., spring, well, genitive plural fontium.

Guttur, -uris, n. throat (think of a guttural sound).

Aula, -ae, f., court (that of the courtiers, the other is area, -ae, f., ground, precinct, but also surface).

Princeps, -ipis, adj. meaning first, principal. If it is a politician, Princeps then refers to the premier of the State: Emperor, King, President of the Republic. The prince in the sense of son of the king is rather Regulus, i.e. little king, diminutive of rex, regis, m. Patience! We will meet one very soon!

Carmen

Cerevisiam bibunt hominēs.
Animālia cētera fontēs.
Absit ab hūmānō gutture pōtus aquae!
Sīc bibitur, sīc bibitur in aulīs prīncipum,
Sīc bibī, bibī, bibitur in aulīs prīncipum, pum, pum!

People drink beer.
The other animals [from] springs.
May the drinking of water be far from the human throat!
Thus [they drink] (it is drunk), thus [they drink] (it is drunk) in the courts of the [great] (princes), etc.

You will find this Carmen in Douze chansons latines (op. cit.).