← Latin for Biologists and Gardeners — Botanical Latin
Lesson 103 of a graded Botanical Latin reading course for botanists, biologists and gardeners.
What does aqua mean in Latin?
The noun aqua, aquae (feminine, first declension) means "water." It is the ordinary Latin word for water of every kind: rain, springs, rivers, the water in a well and the water a gardener carries to the beds. In the plural, aquae, it can mean "waters," "streams," and also "medicinal springs" or "spa," which is why Roman spa towns were called Aquae: Aquae Sulis (Bath), Aquae Sextiae (Aix-en-Provence). For the botanist, water is the first need of every plant, and Pliny the Elder opens Book 31 of his Nātūrālis Historia, the book on waters, by saying that falling water is the cause of everything that grows from the earth.
The word goes back to Proto-Italic akʷā and is related to Proto-Germanic ahwō, "water, stream"; its oldest sense seems to have been running water. Its family in Latin is large: aquāticus and aquātilis, "living in water"; aquārius, "water-carrier"; aquaeductus, "aqueduct"; and the deponent verb aquor, aquārī, "to fetch water." Through these English has "aquatic," "aquarium," "aqueduct" and "aqueous," and the Romance languages have Italian acqua, Spanish agua and French eau.
FAQ: What does aqua mean in Latin?
Aqua means "water." It is feminine, like almost every first-declension noun, so its adjectives are feminine: aqua frīgida, "cold water"; aqua pluvia, "rain water"; aqua fontāna, "spring water." The nominative aqua and the ablative aquā differ only in the length of the final vowel: in aquā, "in the water," has a long ā.
How will aqua be used in this lesson?
The fifteen main examples move from water as the plant's first need to roots, seeds and water plants, then to the gardener's watering, Pliny's praise of water, the Roman formula of exile, and the Psalm's tree planted by streams of water. The genre section is a short informational text, Water and the Plant, which follows water from the soil through the plant and into the air, and gives the gardener's rules for watering.
Key Takeaways
- aqua, aquae (f.) is a first-declension noun: "water"; in the plural, aquae, "waters, streams, medicinal springs" - aqua is feminine, so its adjectives are feminine: aqua frīgida, aqua pluvia - the nominative aqua and the ablative aquā are told apart only by the long ā of the ablative - botanical Latin uses the adjectives aquāticus and aquātilis, "living in water," as specific epithets: Mentha aquātica L., Ranunculus aquātilis L. - "to water a plant" is rigāre, not a verb made from aqua
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aqua /ˈa.kʷa/ — two syllables, stress on the first; the a of the first syllable is short, and qu is a single sound, /kʷ/
aquam /ˈa.kʷam/ — the accusative singular, the form you use when someone carries, pours or needs water
aquā /ˈa.kʷaː/ — the ablative singular; the final ā is long, and this is the only thing that separates it from the nominative aqua
aquae /ˈa.kʷae̯/ — genitive and dative singular, and nominative plural
aquārum /aˈkʷaː.rʊm/ — genitive plural, "of the waters"; the long ā of the penultimate syllable takes the stress
In Ecclesiastical (Italianate) pronunciation aqua is said /ˈa.kwa/, with Italian vowels and no distinction of length. In traditional English botanical pronunciation it is often said "AK-wa," and aquātica "a-KWAT-i-ka," which keeps the Latin stress.
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103.1a Aqua water frīgida cold est is
103.1b Aqua /ˈa.kʷa/ water.NOM.SG.F frīgida /ˈfriː.ɡɪ.da/ cold.NOM.SG.F est /ɛst/ is.3SG.PRES
103.2a Plantae plants aquā water egent need
103.2b Plantae /ˈplan.tae̯/ plant.NOM.PL.F aquā /ˈa.kʷaː/ water.ABL.SG.F egent /ˈɛ.ɡɛnt/ need.3PL.PRES
103.3a Hortulānus gardener aquam water portat carries
103.3b Hortulānus /hɔr.tʊˈlaː.nʊs/ gardener.NOM.SG.M aquam /ˈa.kʷam/ water.ACC.SG.F portat /ˈpɔr.tat/ carry.3SG.PRES
103.4a Nymphaea water-lily in in aquā water crēscit grows
103.4b Nymphaea /nʏmˈpʰae̯.a/ water-lily.NOM.SG.F in /ɪn/ in aquā /ˈa.kʷaː/ water.ABL.SG.F crēscit /ˈkreːs.kɪt/ grow.3SG.PRES
103.5a Rādīcēs roots aquam water ē from terrā earth trahunt draw
103.5b Rādīcēs /raːˈdiː.keːs/ root.NOM.PL.F aquam /ˈa.kʷam/ water.ACC.SG.F ē /eː/ from terrā /ˈtɛr.raː/ earth.ABL.SG.F trahunt /ˈtra.hʊnt/ draw.3PL.PRES
103.6a Sine without aquā water sēmina seeds nōn not germinant sprout
103.6b Sine /ˈsɪ.nɛ/ without aquā /ˈa.kʷaː/ water.ABL.SG.F sēmina /ˈseː.mɪ.na/ seed.NOM.PL.N nōn /noːn/ not germinant /ˈɡɛr.mɪ.nant/ sprout.3PL.PRES
103.7a Mentha mint aquātica aquatic in on rīpīs banks rīvōrum of-streams habitat lives
103.7b Mentha /ˈmɛn.tʰa/ mint.NOM.SG.F aquātica /aˈkʷaː.tɪ.ka/ aquatic.NOM.SG.F in /ɪn/ on rīpīs /ˈriː.piːs/ bank.ABL.PL.F rīvōrum /riːˈwoː.rʊm/ stream.GEN.PL.M habitat /ˈha.bɪ.tat/ live.3SG.PRES
103.8a Hortulānus gardener māne in-the-morning hortum garden aquā with-water fontānā of-a-spring rigat waters
103.8b Hortulānus /hɔr.tʊˈlaː.nʊs/ gardener.NOM.SG.M māne /ˈmaː.nɛ/ in-the-morning hortum /ˈhɔr.tʊm/ garden.ACC.SG.M aquā /ˈa.kʷaː/ water.ABL.SG.F fontānā /fɔnˈtaː.naː/ of-a-spring.ABL.SG.F rigat /ˈrɪ.ɡat/ water.3SG.PRES
103.9a Aqua water pluvia rain plantīs for-plants ūtilior more-useful est is quam than aqua water ē from puteō well
103.9b Aqua /ˈa.kʷa/ water.NOM.SG.F pluvia /ˈplʊ.wɪ.a/ of-rain.NOM.SG.F plantīs /ˈplan.tiːs/ plant.DAT.PL.F ūtilior /uːˈtɪ.lɪ.ɔr/ useful.COMP.NOM.SG.F est /ɛst/ is.3SG.PRES quam /kʷam/ than aqua /ˈa.kʷa/ water.NOM.SG.F ē /eː/ from puteō /ˈpʊ.tɛ.oː/ well.ABL.SG.M
103.10a Ubi where aqua water stagnat stands rādīcēs roots putrēscunt rot
103.10b Ubi /ˈʊ.bɪ/ where aqua /ˈa.kʷa/ water.NOM.SG.F stagnat /ˈstaŋ.nat/ stand.3SG.PRES rādīcēs /raːˈdiː.keːs/ root.NOM.PL.F putrēscunt /pʊˈtreːs.kʊnt/ rot.3PL.PRES
103.11a Folia leaves Nymphaeae of-the-water-lily in on summā top-of aquā water natant float
103.11b Folia /ˈfɔ.lɪ.a/ leaf.NOM.PL.N Nymphaeae /nʏmˈpʰae̯.ae̯/ water-lily.GEN.SG.F in /ɪn/ on summā /ˈsʊm.maː/ topmost.SUPERL.ABL.SG.F aquā /ˈa.kʷaː/ water.ABL.SG.F natant /ˈna.tant/ float.3PL.PRES
103.12a Ranunculus buttercup aquātilis water-dwelling in in aquīs waters fluentibus flowing et and stagnantibus standing habitat lives
103.12b Ranunculus /raˈnʊŋ.kʊ.lʊs/ buttercup.NOM.SG.M aquātilis /aˈkʷaː.tɪ.lɪs/ water-dwelling.NOM.SG.M in /ɪn/ in aquīs /ˈa.kʷiːs/ water.ABL.PL.F fluentibus /flʊˈɛn.tɪ.bʊs/ flow.PRES.PTCP.ABL.PL.F et /ɛt/ and stagnantibus /staŋˈnan.tɪ.bʊs/ stand.PRES.PTCP.ABL.PL.F habitat /ˈha.bɪ.tat/ live.3SG.PRES
103.13a Plīnius Pliny dīcit says aquās waters omnium of-all-things terrā from-the-earth nāscentium being-born causam cause esse to-be
103.13b Plīnius /ˈpliː.nɪ.ʊs/ Pliny.NOM.SG.M dīcit /ˈdiː.kɪt/ say.3SG.PRES aquās /ˈa.kʷaːs/ water.ACC.PL.F omnium /ˈɔm.nɪ.ʊm/ all.GEN.PL.N terrā /ˈtɛr.raː/ earth.ABL.SG.F nāscentium /naːsˈkɛn.tɪ.ʊm/ be-born.PRES.PTCP.GEN.PL.N causam /ˈkau̯.sam/ cause.ACC.SG.F esse /ˈɛs.sɛ/ be.PRES.INF
103.14a Rōmānī Romans exsulī to-the-exile aquā water et and ignī fire interdīcēbant used-to-forbid
103.14b Rōmānī /roːˈmaː.niː/ Roman.NOM.PL.M exsulī /ˈɛk.sʊ.liː/ exile.DAT.SG.M aquā /ˈa.kʷaː/ water.ABL.SG.F et /ɛt/ and ignī /ˈɪŋ.niː/ fire.ABL.SG.M interdīcēbant /ɪn.tɛr.diːˈkeː.bant/ forbid.3PL.IMPERF
103.15a Et and erit he-will-be tamquam like lignum tree quod which plantātum planted est is secus beside dēcursūs streams aquārum of-waters
103.15b Et /ɛt/ and erit /ˈɛ.rɪt/ be.3SG.FUT tamquam /ˈtam.kʷam/ like lignum /ˈlɪŋ.nʊm/ tree.NOM.SG.N quod /kʷɔd/ which.NOM.SG.N plantātum /planˈtaː.tʊm/ plant.PPP.NOM.SG.N est /ɛst/ is.3SG.PRES secus /ˈsɛ.kʊs/ beside dēcursūs /deːˈkʊr.suːs/ running-down.ACC.PL.M aquārum /aˈkʷaː.rʊm/ water.GEN.PL.F
Notes: - 103.13 is adapted from Pliny, Nātūrālis Historia 31.3 (see Section F). - 103.14 uses the Roman legal formula of banishment, aquā et ignī interdīcere, "to forbid someone water and fire." - 103.15 is authentic: Psalm 1:3 in the Clementine Vulgate, Et erit tamquam lignum quod plantatum est secus decursus aquarum, with macrons added. - 103.7 and 103.12 use Linnaean binomials, Mentha aquātica L. and Ranunculus aquātilis L. (Species Plantārum, 1753); 103.12 imitates the habitat statements of the floras but is not a quotation. - All other examples are pedagogical constructions from verified vocabulary and patterns, not quotations.
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103.1 Aqua frīgida est. → "The water is cold."
103.2 Plantae aquā egent. → "Plants need water."
103.3 Hortulānus aquam portat. → "The gardener is carrying water."
103.4 Nymphaea in aquā crēscit. → "The water lily grows in water."
103.5 Rādīcēs aquam ē terrā trahunt. → "Roots draw water from the earth."
103.6 Sine aquā sēmina nōn germinant. → "Without water, seeds do not sprout."
103.7 Mentha aquātica in rīpīs rīvōrum habitat. → "Water mint lives on the banks of streams."
103.8 Hortulānus māne hortum aquā fontānā rigat. → "In the morning the gardener waters the garden with spring water."
103.9 Aqua pluvia plantīs ūtilior est quam aqua ē puteō. → "Rain water is more useful for plants than water from a well."
103.10 Ubi aqua stagnat, rādīcēs putrēscunt. → "Where water stands, the roots rot."
103.11 Folia Nymphaeae in summā aquā natant. → "The leaves of the water lily float on the surface of the water."
103.12 Ranunculus aquātilis in aquīs fluentibus et stagnantibus habitat. → "Water crowfoot lives in flowing and standing waters."
103.13 Plīnius dīcit aquās omnium terrā nāscentium causam esse. → "Pliny says that waters are the cause of everything that springs from the earth."
103.14 Rōmānī exsulī aquā et ignī interdīcēbant. → "The Romans used to forbid the exile water and fire."
103.15 Et erit tamquam lignum quod plantātum est secus dēcursūs aquārum. → "And he shall be like a tree which is planted beside the running waters." (Psalm 1:3, Vulgate)
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103.1 Aqua frīgida est.
103.2 Plantae aquā egent.
103.3 Hortulānus aquam portat.
103.4 Nymphaea in aquā crēscit.
103.5 Rādīcēs aquam ē terrā trahunt.
103.6 Sine aquā sēmina nōn germinant.
103.7 Mentha aquātica in rīpīs rīvōrum habitat.
103.8 Hortulānus māne hortum aquā fontānā rigat.
103.9 Aqua pluvia plantīs ūtilior est quam aqua ē puteō.
103.10 Ubi aqua stagnat, rādīcēs putrēscunt.
103.11 Folia Nymphaeae in summā aquā natant.
103.12 Ranunculus aquātilis in aquīs fluentibus et stagnantibus habitat.
103.13 Plīnius dīcit aquās omnium terrā nāscentium causam esse.
103.14 Rōmānī exsulī aquā et ignī interdīcēbant.
103.15 Et erit tamquam lignum quod plantātum est secus dēcursūs aquārum.
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These are the grammar rules for aqua in Latin:
1. The Noun aqua, aquae (f.)
Aqua belongs to the first declension, like planta, "plant," herba, "herb," and terra, "earth."
Singular: nominative aqua, genitive aquae, dative aquae, accusative aquam, ablative aquā, vocative aqua.
Plural: nominative aquae, genitive aquārum, dative aquīs, accusative aquās, ablative aquīs, vocative aquae.
An old genitive singular aquāī is found in early poetry. The form aquae is genitive or dative singular, or nominative plural: the sentence decides. In 103.15, aquārum is the genitive plural, "of the waters."
2. Nominative aqua and Ablative aquā
The nominative and the ablative singular are spelled alike without macrons, and only the long final ā of the ablative separates them. Compare aqua frīgida est (103.1), "the water is cold," with in aquā crēscit (103.4), "grows in the water." Watch the adjectives too: aquā fontānā (103.8) and in summā aquā (103.11) have the long ā in both words, because the adjective agrees with the noun.
3. Ablative of Separation and Need with egeō
Verbs of needing and lacking take the ablative: plantae aquā egent (103.2), "plants need water." The same rule governs careō, "to lack," in the genre section: rādīcēs āere carent (103.26). Do not put the thing needed in the accusative.
4. Kinds of Water: Adjectives
Latin names a kind of water with an adjective: aqua pluvia, "rain water" (103.9); aqua fontāna, "spring water" (103.8); aqua frīgida, "cold water" (103.1). Botanical Latin uses two adjectives formed from aqua for plants that live in water: aquāticus, -a, -um (Mentha aquātica, 103.7) and aquātilis, -is, -e (Ranunculus aquātilis, 103.12). Both mean "living or growing in water"; aquātilis is a third-declension adjective, so its masculine and feminine nominative singular end in -is.
5. Other Constructions in This Lesson
- Ablative with sine (103.6) and with ē (103.5, 103.9): sine aquā, "without water"; ē terrā, "from the earth"; aqua ē puteō, "water from a well." - The ablative of means (103.8): hortum aquā fontānā rigat, "waters the garden with spring water." - The dative with the comparative ūtilior (103.9): plantīs ūtilior, "more useful for plants," and quam, "than," with the second term in the same case as the first (aqua ... quam aqua). - In summā aquā (103.11): summus means "the top of," not "the highest": summa aqua is "the surface of the water," as summus mōns is "the top of the mountain." - Present participles as adjectives (103.12): in aquīs fluentibus et stagnantibus, "in flowing and standing waters," agreeing with aquīs in the ablative plural. - Indirect statement after dīcit (103.13): aquās ... causam esse, accusative subject and infinitive, with causam as the predicate, also in the accusative. - The formula aquā et ignī interdīcere (103.14): the person in the dative (exsulī), the things forbidden in the ablative (aquā et ignī). - Tamquam, "just as, like" (103.15), introducing a comparison, and secus, "beside," a preposition with the accusative in Late and biblical Latin (secus dēcursūs aquārum).
Common Mistakes English Speakers Make
- Ignoring the macron of the ablative: in aquā, not *in aqua, when you write with quantities. - Taking aquae always as a plural: it is just as often genitive or dative singular, as in rīpae aquae, "the banks of the water." - Forming a verb "to water" from aqua: the gardener's verb is rigō, rigāre (103.8, 103.22); aquor, aquārī means "to fetch water," as soldiers did. - Putting the thing needed in the accusative after egeō: plantae aquā egent, not *aquam egent. - Stressing aquārum or aquātica on the first syllable: the long ā of the penultimate takes the stress, a-QUĀ-rum, a-QUĀ-ti-ca.
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Water in the Book of Waters
Pliny's Book 31 begins the account of the remedies drawn from water, and he opens it with praise of the element itself: hoc elementum cēterīs omnibus imperat, "this element rules all the others" (31.1). Waters swallow up the land, put out flames, climb into the sky and hang there in clouds: quid esse mīrābilius potest aquīs in caelō stantibus? "What can be more wonderful than waters standing in the sky?" (31.2). Then comes the passage of Section F, in which falling rain becomes the cause of all plant life. After this Pliny turns to springs, hot and cold, and to the towns founded beside them, among them Aquae Sextiae in Narbonese Gaul (31.4).
Aquae: Springs, Spas and Aqueducts
In the plural, aquae means a place of healing springs, and many Roman towns took their name from them: Aquae Sulis, the Roman Bath; Aquae Sextiae, Aix-en-Provence. Rome itself was fed by aqueducts, each called aqua with its own name, the Aqua Appia, the Aqua Marcia, the Aqua Claudia. Their administration was described by Frontinus, the water commissioner of Rome at the end of the first century AD, in his Dē Aquaeductū Urbis Rōmae.
Water and Fire: the Formula of Exile
Water and fire stood for everything a citizen needed to live. A Roman condemned to exile was formally "forbidden water and fire": aquā et ignī interdīcere alicui. He might not use either within Roman territory, and so in practice the formula meant banishment.
Water in Botanical Latin
The word aqua itself appears in the habitat statements of floras, where a plant is said to grow in aquīs, "in waters," fluentibus or stagnantibus, "flowing" or "standing." Its adjectives give the specific epithets of many water plants: Mentha aquātica L., water mint; Ranunculus aquātilis L., water crowfoot; Oenanthe aquātica, fine-leaved water dropwort. The name of the columbine, Aquilegia, has been explained both from aquilegus, "water-gatherer," and from aquila, "eagle"; its origin is uncertain. In the Christian tradition, the first Psalm's tree planted by the waters (103.15) has made aqua a word of growth and blessing.
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Pliny the Elder, Nātūrālis Historia 31.3 — Water, the Cause of All That Grows
In Book 31 of his Nātūrālis Historia (published AD 77), after saying that water rules the other elements and climbs into the sky, Pliny describes the return journey: rain falls, and all plant life comes from it. The passage is one long sentence and shows aqua three times, in the plural, as the subject of an infinitive and in the genitive. The text is that of Latin Wikisource, checked against the text of Urbis et Orbis, with macrons added.
Part F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Eaedem the-same cadentēs falling omnium of-all-things terrā from-the-earth ēnāscentium springing-up causa cause fīunt become
F.1b Eaedem /ɛˈae̯.dɛm/ same.NOM.PL.F cadentēs /kaˈdɛn.teːs/ fall.PRES.PTCP.NOM.PL.F omnium /ˈɔm.nɪ.ʊm/ all.GEN.PL.N terrā /ˈtɛr.raː/ earth.ABL.SG.F ēnāscentium /eː.naːsˈkɛn.tɪ.ʊm/ spring-up.PRES.PTCP.GEN.PL.N causa /ˈkau̯.sa/ cause.NOM.SG.F fīunt /ˈfiː.ʊnt/ become.3PL.PRES
F.2a prōrsus altogether mīrābilī wonderful nātūrā of-a-nature sī if quis anyone velit should-wish reputāre to-reflect
F.2b prōrsus /ˈproːr.sʊs/ altogether mīrābilī /miːˈraː.bɪ.liː/ wonderful.ABL.SG.F nātūrā /naːˈtuː.raː/ nature.ABL.SG.F sī /siː/ if quis /kʷɪs/ anyone.NOM.SG.M velit /ˈwɛ.lɪt/ wish.3SG.PRES.SUBJ reputāre /rɛ.pʊˈtaː.rɛ/ reflect.PRES.INF
F.3a ut so-that frūgēs crops gignantur may-be-produced arborēs trees fruticēsque and-shrubs vīvant may-live
F.3b ut /ʊt/ so-that frūgēs /ˈfruː.ɡeːs/ crop.NOM.PL.F gignantur /ɡɪŋˈnan.tʊr/ produce.3PL.PRES.SUBJ.PASS arborēs /arˈboː.reːs/ tree.NOM.PL.F fruticēsque /frʊ.tɪˈkeːs.kʷɛ/ shrub.NOM.PL.M-and vīvant /ˈwiː.want/ live.3PL.PRES.SUBJ
F.4a in into caelum sky migrāre to-travel aquās waters animamque and-breath etiam even herbīs to-plants vītālem of-life inde from-there dēferre to-bring-down
F.4b in /ɪn/ into caelum /ˈkae̯.lʊm/ sky.ACC.SG.N migrāre /mɪˈɡraː.rɛ/ travel.PRES.INF aquās /ˈa.kʷaːs/ water.ACC.PL.F animamque /a.nɪˈmam.kʷɛ/ breath.ACC.SG.F-and etiam /ˈɛ.tɪ.am/ even herbīs /ˈhɛr.biːs/ plant.DAT.PL.F vītālem /wiːˈtaː.lɛm/ vital.ACC.SG.F inde /ˈɪn.dɛ/ from-there dēferre /deːˈfɛr.rɛ/ bring-down.PRES.INF
F.5a iūstā by-a-just cōnfessiōne admission omnēs all terrae of-the-earth quoque also vīrēs powers aquārum of-the-waters esse to-be beneficiī of-the-gift
F.5b iūstā /ˈjuːs.taː/ just.ABL.SG.F cōnfessiōne /koːn.fɛs.sɪˈoː.nɛ/ admission.ABL.SG.F omnēs /ˈɔm.neːs/ all.ACC.PL.F terrae /ˈtɛr.rae̯/ earth.GEN.SG.F quoque /ˈkʷɔ.kʷɛ/ also vīrēs /ˈwiː.reːs/ power.ACC.PL.F aquārum /aˈkʷaː.rʊm/ water.GEN.PL.F esse /ˈɛs.sɛ/ be.PRES.INF beneficiī /bɛ.nɛˈfɪ.kɪ.iː/ gift.GEN.SG.N
Part F-B: Natural Text and Translation
Eaedem cadentēs omnium terrā ēnāscentium causa fīunt, prōrsus mīrābilī nātūrā, sī quis velit reputāre, ut frūgēs gignantur, arborēs fruticēsque vīvant, in caelum migrāre aquās animamque etiam herbīs vītālem inde dēferre, iūstā cōnfessiōne, omnēs terrae quoque vīrēs aquārum esse beneficiī.
"The same waters, when they fall, become the cause of everything that springs from the earth. It is altogether a wonderful thing, if one cares to reflect on it, that in order that crops may be produced and trees and shrubs may live, the waters should travel up into the sky and bring down from there the breath of life even to plants; so that we must justly admit that all the powers of the earth too are the gift of the waters."
Part F-C: Latin Text Only
Eaedem cadentēs omnium terrā ēnāscentium causa fīunt, prōrsus mīrābilī nātūrā, sī quis velit reputāre, ut frūgēs gignantur, arborēs fruticēsque vīvant, in caelum migrāre aquās animamque etiam herbīs vītālem inde dēferre, iūstā cōnfessiōne, omnēs terrae quoque vīrēs aquārum esse beneficiī.
Part F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
Eaedem, "the same," is feminine plural and refers back to aquae of the sentence before: the waters that climbed into the sky now fall. Cadentēs is a present participle agreeing with it, "falling, as they fall." Omnium terrā ēnāscentium is a genitive plural participle used as a noun, "of all things springing up from the earth," with terrā an ablative of origin; ēnāscor is nāscor, "to be born," with ē-, "out." Fīunt is the third person plural of fīō, "to become," with the long ī that this verb keeps before a vowel.
Prōrsus mīrābilī nātūrā is an ablative of description, "a thing of an altogether wonderful nature," standing in apposition to what follows. Sī quis velit reputāre, "if anyone should care to reflect," is a polite present subjunctive. The ut clause, with its present subjunctives gignantur and vīvant, gives the purpose of what the infinitives describe: that the waters migrate to the sky so that crops may grow. Migrāre and dēferre are infinitives with aquās as their accusative subject, an accusative and infinitive that explains the wonder, "that the waters should travel ... and bring down." Anima vītālis is "the breath of life"; Pliny gives it even to herbae, the plants.
Iūstā cōnfessiōne, "by a just admission," introduces a second accusative and infinitive: omnēs terrae vīrēs ... esse. Aquārum ... beneficiī is a predicate genitive: the powers of the earth "are of the waters' bounty," that is, belong to it and come from it. Frūgēs, arborēs fruticēsque, "crops, trees and shrubs," is Pliny's way of naming the whole plant world, from the field to the orchard and the hedge.
Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus, AD 23/24–79) wrote the thirty-seven books of the Nātūrālis Historia, Books 12 to 27 of which deal with plants, their cultivation and their uses. He died near Vesuvius during the eruption of AD 79.
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A noun lesson calls for an informational text. This one is written as a short reading for a school garden or a glasshouse display: it follows water from the soil into the root, up the stem and out through the leaves, gives the gardener's rules for watering, and closes on the water plants and Pliny's verdict on the waters.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
103.16a Nūlla no planta plant sine without aquā water vīvit lives
103.16b Nūlla /ˈnuːl.la/ no.NOM.SG.F planta /ˈplan.ta/ plant.NOM.SG.F sine /ˈsɪ.nɛ/ without aquā /ˈa.kʷaː/ water.ABL.SG.F vīvit /ˈwiː.wɪt/ live.3SG.PRES
103.17a Rādīcēs roots aquam water ex from humō soil sūmunt take-up
103.17b Rādīcēs /raːˈdiː.keːs/ root.NOM.PL.F aquam /ˈa.kʷam/ water.ACC.SG.F ex /ɛks/ from humō /ˈhʊ.moː/ soil.ABL.SG.F sūmunt /ˈsuː.mʊnt/ take-up.3PL.PRES
103.18a Aqua water per through caulem stem ad to folia leaves ascendit rises
103.18b Aqua /ˈa.kʷa/ water.NOM.SG.F per /pɛr/ through caulem /ˈkau̯.lɛm/ stem.ACC.SG.M ad /ad/ to folia /ˈfɔ.lɪ.a/ leaf.ACC.PL.N ascendit /asˈkɛn.dɪt/ rise.3SG.PRES
103.19a Folia leaves aquam water per through stomata stomata in into āerem air ēmittunt send-out
103.19b Folia /ˈfɔ.lɪ.a/ leaf.NOM.PL.N aquam /ˈa.kʷam/ water.ACC.SG.F per /pɛr/ through stomata /ˈstɔ.ma.ta/ stoma.ACC.PL.N in /ɪn/ into āerem /ˈaː.ɛ.rɛm/ air.ACC.SG.M ēmittunt /eːˈmɪt.tʊnt/ send-out.3PL.PRES
103.20a Itaque therefore planta plant in in sōle sun multam much aquam water āmittit loses
103.20b Itaque /ˈɪ.ta.kʷɛ/ therefore planta /ˈplan.ta/ plant.NOM.SG.F in /ɪn/ in sōle /ˈsoː.lɛ/ sun.ABL.SG.M multam /ˈmʊl.tam/ much.ACC.SG.F aquam /ˈa.kʷam/ water.ACC.SG.F āmittit /aːˈmɪt.tɪt/ lose.3SG.PRES
103.21a Quandō when aqua water dēficit runs-short folia leaves marcēscunt wilt
103.21b Quandō /ˈkʷan.doː/ when aqua /ˈa.kʷa/ water.NOM.SG.F dēficit /ˈdeː.fɪ.kɪt/ fail.3SG.PRES folia /ˈfɔ.lɪ.a/ leaf.NOM.PL.N marcēscunt /marˈkeːs.kʊnt/ wilt.3PL.PRES
103.22a Hortulānus gardener prūdēns wise plantās plants māne in-the-morning aut or vesperī in-the-evening rigat waters
103.22b Hortulānus /hɔr.tʊˈlaː.nʊs/ gardener.NOM.SG.M prūdēns /ˈpruː.deːns/ wise.NOM.SG.M plantās /ˈplan.taːs/ plant.ACC.PL.F māne /ˈmaː.nɛ/ in-the-morning aut /au̯t/ or vesperī /ˈwɛs.pɛ.riː/ evening.LOC.SG.M rigat /ˈrɪ.ɡat/ water.3SG.PRES
103.23a Aquam water ad at rādīcēs roots nōn not in onto folia leaves fundit he-pours
103.23b Aquam /ˈa.kʷam/ water.ACC.SG.F ad /ad/ at rādīcēs /raːˈdiː.keːs/ root.ACC.PL.F nōn /noːn/ not in /ɪn/ onto folia /ˈfɔ.lɪ.a/ leaf.ACC.PL.N fundit /ˈfʊn.dɪt/ pour.3SG.PRES
103.24a Aqua water pluvia rain in in cisternīs cisterns servārī to-be-kept potest can
103.24b Aqua /ˈa.kʷa/ water.NOM.SG.F pluvia /ˈplʊ.wɪ.a/ of-rain.NOM.SG.F in /ɪn/ in cisternīs /kɪsˈtɛr.niːs/ cistern.ABL.PL.F servārī /sɛrˈwaː.riː/ keep.PRES.INF.PASS potest /ˈpɔ.tɛst/ be-able.3SG.PRES
103.25a Nimia too-much aqua water autem however plantīs plants nocet harms
103.25b Nimia /ˈnɪ.mɪ.a/ excessive.NOM.SG.F aqua /ˈa.kʷa/ water.NOM.SG.F autem /ˈau̯.tɛm/ however plantīs /ˈplan.tiːs/ plant.DAT.PL.F nocet /ˈnɔ.kɛt/ harm.3SG.PRES
103.26a In in terrā soil nimis too ūmidā wet rādīcēs roots āere air carent lack
103.26b In /ɪn/ in terrā /ˈtɛr.raː/ earth.ABL.SG.F nimis /ˈnɪ.mɪs/ too ūmidā /ˈuː.mɪ.daː/ wet.ABL.SG.F rādīcēs /raːˈdiː.keːs/ root.NOM.PL.F āere /ˈaː.ɛ.rɛ/ air.ABL.SG.M carent /ˈka.rɛnt/ lack.3PL.PRES
103.27a Plantae plants aquāticae aquatic ut such-as Nymphaea the-water-lily et and Ranunculus buttercup aquātilis water-dwelling in in ipsā itself aquā water vīvunt live
103.27b Plantae /ˈplan.tae̯/ plant.NOM.PL.F aquāticae /aˈkʷaː.tɪ.kae̯/ aquatic.NOM.PL.F ut /ʊt/ such-as Nymphaea /nʏmˈpʰae̯.a/ water-lily.NOM.SG.F et /ɛt/ and Ranunculus /raˈnʊŋ.kʊ.lʊs/ buttercup.NOM.SG.M aquātilis /aˈkʷaː.tɪ.lɪs/ water-dwelling.NOM.SG.M in /ɪn/ in ipsā /ˈɪp.saː/ self.ABL.SG.F aquā /ˈa.kʷaː/ water.ABL.SG.F vīvunt /ˈwiː.wʊnt/ live.3PL.PRES
103.28a Hārum of-these caulēs stems mollēs soft sunt are quia because aqua water eōs them sustinet holds-up
103.28b Hārum /ˈhaː.rʊm/ this.GEN.PL.F caulēs /ˈkau̯.leːs/ stem.NOM.PL.M mollēs /ˈmɔl.leːs/ soft.NOM.PL.M sunt /sʊnt/ be.3PL.PRES quia /ˈkʷɪ.a/ because aqua /ˈa.kʷa/ water.NOM.SG.F eōs /ˈɛ.oːs/ they.ACC.PL.M sustinet /ˈsʊs.tɪ.nɛt/ hold-up.3SG.PRES
103.29a Plantae plants dēsertōrum of-the-deserts contrā on-the-other-hand aquam water in in caulibus stems crassīs thick servant store
103.29b Plantae /ˈplan.tae̯/ plant.NOM.PL.F dēsertōrum /deː.sɛrˈtoː.rʊm/ desert.GEN.PL.N contrā /ˈkɔn.traː/ on-the-other-hand aquam /ˈa.kʷam/ water.ACC.SG.F in /ɪn/ in caulibus /ˈkau̯.lɪ.bʊs/ stem.ABL.PL.M crassīs /ˈkras.siːs/ thick.ABL.PL.M servant /ˈsɛr.want/ keep.3PL.PRES
103.30a Ut as Plīnius Pliny docet teaches omnēs all terrae of-the-earth vīrēs powers aquārum of-the-waters beneficiī of-the-gift sunt are
103.30b Ut /ʊt/ as Plīnius /ˈpliː.nɪ.ʊs/ Pliny.NOM.SG.M docet /ˈdɔ.kɛt/ teach.3SG.PRES omnēs /ˈɔm.neːs/ all.NOM.PL.F terrae /ˈtɛr.rae̯/ earth.GEN.SG.F vīrēs /ˈwiː.reːs/ power.NOM.PL.F aquārum /aˈkʷaː.rʊm/ water.GEN.PL.F beneficiī /bɛ.nɛˈfɪ.kɪ.iː/ gift.GEN.SG.N sunt /sʊnt/ be.3PL.PRES
Part B: Natural Sentences
103.16 Nūlla planta sine aquā vīvit. → "No plant lives without water."
103.17 Rādīcēs aquam ex humō sūmunt. → "The roots take up water from the soil."
103.18 Aqua per caulem ad folia ascendit. → "The water rises through the stem to the leaves."
103.19 Folia aquam per stomata in āerem ēmittunt. → "The leaves give off water into the air through the stomata."
103.20 Itaque planta in sōle multam aquam āmittit. → "So a plant in the sun loses a great deal of water."
103.21 Quandō aqua dēficit, folia marcēscunt. → "When water runs short, the leaves wilt."
103.22 Hortulānus prūdēns plantās māne aut vesperī rigat. → "A wise gardener waters the plants in the morning or in the evening."
103.23 Aquam ad rādīcēs, nōn in folia, fundit. → "He pours the water at the roots, not onto the leaves."
103.24 Aqua pluvia in cisternīs servārī potest. → "Rain water can be kept in cisterns."
103.25 Nimia aqua autem plantīs nocet. → "Too much water, however, harms plants."
103.26 In terrā nimis ūmidā rādīcēs āere carent. → "In soil that is too wet, the roots lack air."
103.27 Plantae aquāticae, ut Nymphaea et Ranunculus aquātilis, in ipsā aquā vīvunt. → "Aquatic plants, such as the water lily and water crowfoot, live in the water itself."
103.28 Hārum caulēs mollēs sunt, quia aqua eōs sustinet. → "Their stems are soft, because the water holds them up."
103.29 Plantae dēsertōrum contrā aquam in caulibus crassīs servant. → "Desert plants, on the other hand, store water in thick stems."
103.30 Ut Plīnius docet, omnēs terrae vīrēs aquārum beneficiī sunt. → "As Pliny teaches, all the powers of the earth are the gift of the waters."
Part C: Latin Text Only
103.16 Nūlla planta sine aquā vīvit.
103.17 Rādīcēs aquam ex humō sūmunt.
103.18 Aqua per caulem ad folia ascendit.
103.19 Folia aquam per stomata in āerem ēmittunt.
103.20 Itaque planta in sōle multam aquam āmittit.
103.21 Quandō aqua dēficit, folia marcēscunt.
103.22 Hortulānus prūdēns plantās māne aut vesperī rigat.
103.23 Aquam ad rādīcēs, nōn in folia, fundit.
103.24 Aqua pluvia in cisternīs servārī potest.
103.25 Nimia aqua autem plantīs nocet.
103.26 In terrā nimis ūmidā rādīcēs āere carent.
103.27 Plantae aquāticae, ut Nymphaea et Ranunculus aquātilis, in ipsā aquā vīvunt.
103.28 Hārum caulēs mollēs sunt, quia aqua eōs sustinet.
103.29 Plantae dēsertōrum contrā aquam in caulibus crassīs servant.
103.30 Ut Plīnius docet, omnēs terrae vīrēs aquārum beneficiī sunt.
Part D: Grammar Notes for Genre Section
The text shows aqua in almost every form a reader meets: the nominative aqua (103.18, 103.21, 103.24, 103.25, 103.28), the accusative aquam (103.17, 103.19, 103.20, 103.23, 103.29), the ablative aquā (103.16, 103.27) and the genitive plural aquārum (103.30). Every adjective with it is feminine: multam aquam, aqua pluvia, nimia aqua, in ipsā aquā.
Sine aquā (103.16) and ex humō (103.17) are prepositions with the ablative. Humus, "soil, ground," is one of the few feminine nouns of the second declension, like many tree names (pirus, "pear tree"; ulmus, "elm").
Caulis, caulis (m.), "stem," gives caulem (103.18), caulēs (103.28) and caulibus (103.29); its adjectives are masculine, mollēs and crassīs, and so is the pronoun eōs that refers to it (103.28). Stomata (103.19) is the plural of stoma, stomatis (n.), a Greek word, "mouth," which modern botanical Latin uses for the pores of the leaf; āēr, āeris (m.), "air," has the accusative āerem (103.19) and the ablative āere (103.26).
Two verbs take a case other than the accusative: noceō, "to harm," takes the dative (plantīs nocet, 103.25), and careō, "to lack," the ablative (āere carent, 103.26), like egeō in 103.2.
Māne, "in the morning," is an adverb; vesperī, "in the evening" (103.22), is a locative of vesper. Servārī potest (103.24) is the present passive infinitive after possum, "can be kept." Contrā (103.29) is here an adverb, "on the other hand," not the preposition. Ut has two uses in this text: "such as" before a list (103.27) and "as" with a verb (ut Plīnius docet, 103.30).
103.30 is adapted from Pliny's own sentence in Section F, omnēs terrae quoque vīrēs aquārum esse beneficiī, turned from an indirect statement into a direct one: esse becomes sunt, and the subject vīrēs moves from the accusative into the nominative. Aquārum beneficiī is still a predicate genitive.
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The first a of aqua is short, and qu counts as a single consonant, /kʷ/, so it does not make the syllable before it long. In the two-syllable forms (aqua, aquam, aquae, aquīs) the stress falls on the first syllable; when the penultimate syllable is long it takes the stress: aquārum /aˈkʷaː.rʊm/, aquātica /aˈkʷaː.tɪ.ka/, aquātilis /aˈkʷaː.tɪ.lɪs/.
Write the macron of the ablative, aquā, whenever you write with quantities; it is the only mark that separates "in the water" from "the water."
Rādīx has two long vowels, rā- and -dī-, and rādīcēs is stressed on the second: rā-DĪ-cēs. Rīpa and rīvus both have a long ī.
In Classical pronunciation gn is said /ŋn/: stagnat /ˈstaŋ.nat/, lignum /ˈlɪŋ.nʊm/, ignī /ˈɪŋ.niː/. The ph of Nymphaea and the th of Mentha are aspirated stops, /pʰ/ and /tʰ/, not the f and th of English.
Āēr, "air," has two separate vowels, ā-er, not a diphthong: āerem /ˈaː.ɛ.rɛm/. In fīunt (Section F) the ī stays long before the vowel, an exception to the rule that a vowel before another vowel is short.
In Classical pronunciation c is always hard (crēscit, cisternīs), v is /w/ (vīvit /ˈwiː.wɪt/, vesperī /ˈwɛs.pɛ.riː/), and g is always hard (egent /ˈɛ.ɡɛnt/, germinant /ˈɡɛr.mɪ.nant/).
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