Fourth Declension Neuter: cornu

Level 4

Neuter fourth declension nouns end in -u and have the plural -ua.

How It Works

Casecornupluralgenuplural
nominativecornucornuagenugenua
genitivecornuscornuumgenusgenuum
dativecornucornibusgenugenibus
accusativecornucornuagenugenua
ablativecornucornibusgenugenibus

As with every neuter noun, the nominative and accusative are the same. In the singular, cornu is also the dative and the ablative.

Only a few nouns follow this pattern. The two to know are cornu (horn) and genu (knee).

Watch the genitive singular. Genus as the genitive of genu looks exactly like genus (kind), a different noun, so read the whole sentence before you decide which word you have.

Examples (5)

  1. Taurus duo cornua habet.

    The bull has two horns.

    Cornua is the accusative plural.

  2. Parvus puer in genu matris sedet.

    The little boy sits on his mother's knee.

    Genu is ablative singular after in.

  3. Genua mea dolent.

    My knees hurt.

    Genua is the nominative plural.

  4. Cornu copiae magnum est.

    The horn of plenty is big.

    Cornu is nominative singular.

  5. Et erexit cornu salutis nobis in domo David pueri sui.

    And he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David his servant.

    From Luke 1:69. Cornu is the accusative object of erexit.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the singular after a number.

    Taurus duo cornu habet.
    Taurus duo cornua habet.

    Duo means two, so the noun must be plural: cornua.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Fourth Declension Neuter: cornuLevel 4

Learn This First

Cornu is a fourth-family noun with neuter forms.

Words in This Pattern

cornugenu