← Latinum Institute Latin Reading Course
Welcome to Lesson 207 of the Latinum Institute Classical Latin Reading Course. Today's word is unda, undae, feminine: "wave." It stands at frequency rank 207 in the Dickinson College Core Latin Vocabulary. Unda is above all a poet's word. Vergil, Ovid, Horace and Catullus use it constantly for the sea, for rivers and for water in motion, and it is one of the words that give Latin verse its sound of the sea.
What does unda mean in Latin?
Unda is a first-declension feminine noun meaning "wave." It declines like puella: unda, undae, undae, undam, undā in the singular; undae, undārum, undīs, undās, undīs in the plural. Its first meaning is a wave of the sea or a ripple on a river. From there poets use it for water in general, especially moving water ("the stream," "the waters"), and for the sea itself. It is also used figuratively for anything that surges like a wave: a flood of cares, a surging crowd.
Latin has several words where English has only "wave" and "sea," and a reader must learn to tell them apart. Fluctus, fluctūs m. (from fluō, "flow") is the ordinary word for a wave in prose; unda is far more frequent in poetry, where it often means simply "water." Mare is the plain word for "sea," aequor ("the level surface") and pontus (a Greek word) are its poetic partners. Vergil can use unda and fluctus in the same sentence (207.11). Two grammatical points matter from the start. First, "by the waves" is a plain ablative with no preposition: nāvis undīs iactātur, "the ship is tossed by the waves." Second, in with the accusative means "into the waves" (in undās), in with the ablative "in the waves" (in undīs).
Etymology: unda belongs with the Indo-European word for "water," the family of Greek ὕδωρ, Sanskrit udán and English water and wet, although the exact formation of the Latin word is debated. Latin built many words on it: undāre ("to surge, rise in waves"), abundāre ("to overflow," whence abundant), redundāre ("to flow back, overflow," whence redundant), inundāre ("to flood," whence inundate), and undulātus ("wavy," whence undulate). English surround also goes back, through French, to Late Latin superundāre, "to overflow." Its Romance descendants are Italian, Spanish and Portuguese onda, French onde and Romanian undă.
Key Takeaways - Unda, undae f. ("wave") is a regular first-declension noun like puella; the u is short: ŭnda. - In prose the usual word for a sea wave is fluctus; unda is the poets' word, and in verse it often means simply "water," "stream" or "sea." - The plain ablative undīs means "by the waves" (means or cause); in undās means "into the waves," in undīs "in the waves." - Ut unda undam ("as wave follows wave") is Ovid's image for the flow of time (Section F). - English abundant, redundant, inundate and undulate all contain unda.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
unda /ˈʊn.da/ — two syllables, UN-da. The u is short, like the vowel in English "put," never a long "oo." The stress is on the first syllable.
undae /ˈʊn.dae̯/, undam /ˈʊn.dam/, undā /ˈʊn.daː/, undīs /ˈʊn.diːs/, undās /ˈʊn.daːs/ — the stress stays on the first syllable. Say the long endings of undā, undīs and undās clearly long: they are what tells you the case.
undārum /ʊnˈdaː.rʊm/ — in the genitive plural the second-to-last syllable -dā- is long, so it takes the stress: un-DĀ-rum.
fluctus /ˈflʊk.tʊs/ — FLUC-tus; the plural fluctūs /ˈflʊk.tuːs/ has a long ū.
A note on the IPA in this lesson: short vowels are written /a ɛ ɪ ɔ ʊ/ and long vowels /aː eː iː oː uː/; v is /w/, consonantal i is /j/, qu is /kʷ/, and ae and au are the diphthongs /ae̯/ and /au̯/. Final -m is written /m/ for clarity, although in Classical speech it mostly nasalised the vowel before it.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
207.1a Unda a-wave venit comes.
207.1b Unda /ˈʊn.da/ wave.F.NOM.SG venit /ˈwɛ.nɪt/ come.3SG.PRES
207.2a Undae the-waves sonant resound.
207.2b Undae /ˈʊn.dae̯/ wave.F.NOM.PL sonant /ˈsɔ.nant/ sound.3PL.PRES
207.3a Puer the-boy undās the-waves spectat watches.
207.3b Puer /ˈpʊ.ɛr/ boy.M.NOM.SG undās /ˈʊn.daːs/ wave.F.ACC.PL spectat /ˈspɛk.tat/ watch.3SG.PRES
207.4a Unda the-wave lītus the-shore pulsat beats.
207.4b Unda /ˈʊn.da/ wave.F.NOM.SG lītus /ˈliː.tʊs/ shore.N.ACC.SG pulsat /ˈpʊl.sat/ beat.3SG.PRES
207.5a Nāvis the-ship undīs by-the-waves iactātur is-tossed.
207.5b Nāvis /ˈnaː.wɪs/ ship.F.NOM.SG undīs /ˈʊn.diːs/ wave.F.ABL.PL iactātur /jakˈtaː.tʊr/ toss.3SG.PRES.PASS
207.6a Ventus the-wind magnās great undās waves in on marī the-sea excitat stirs-up.
207.6b Ventus /ˈwɛn.tʊs/ wind.M.NOM.SG magnās /ˈmaɡ.naːs/ great.F.ACC.PL undās /ˈʊn.daːs/ wave.F.ACC.PL in /ɪn/ in(+ABL) marī /ˈma.riː/ sea.N.ABL.SG excitat /ˈɛk.skɪ.tat/ rouse.3SG.PRES
207.7a Puellae the-girls in in undīs the-waves lūdēbant were-playing, dum while māter the-mother in on harēnā the-sand sedēbat was-sitting.
207.7b Puellae /pʊˈɛl.lae̯/ girl.F.NOM.PL in /ɪn/ in(+ABL) undīs /ˈʊn.diːs/ wave.F.ABL.PL lūdēbant /luːˈdeː.bant/ play.3PL.IMPERF dum /dʊm/ while māter /ˈmaː.tɛr/ mother.F.NOM.SG in /ɪn/ in(+ABL) harēnā /haˈreː.naː/ sand.F.ABL.SG sedēbat /sɛˈdeː.bat/ sit.3SG.IMPERF
207.8a Piscātor the-fisherman rēte the-net in into undās the-waves iēcit threw.
207.8b Piscātor /pɪsˈkaː.tɔr/ fisherman.M.NOM.SG rēte /ˈreː.tɛ/ net.N.ACC.SG in /ɪn/ into(+ACC) undās /ˈʊn.daːs/ wave.F.ACC.PL iēcit /ˈjeː.kɪt/ throw.3SG.PERF
207.9a Flūminis of-the-river unda the-water clāra clear est is et and frīgida cold.
207.9b Flūminis /ˈfluː.mɪ.nɪs/ river.N.GEN.SG unda /ˈʊn.da/ wave.F.NOM.SG clāra /ˈklaː.ra/ clear.F.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES et /ɛt/ and frīgida /ˈfriː.ɡɪ.da/ cold.F.NOM.SG
207.10a Ut as unda wave undam wave pellit drives, sīc so diēs day diem day sequitur follows.
207.10b Ut /ʊt/ as unda /ˈʊn.da/ wave.F.NOM.SG undam /ˈʊn.dam/ wave.F.ACC.SG pellit /ˈpɛl.lɪt/ drive.3SG.PRES sīc /siːk/ so.ADV diēs /ˈdɪ.eːs/ day.M.NOM.SG diem /ˈdɪ.ɛm/ day.M.ACC.SG sequitur /ˈsɛ.kʷɪ.tʊr/ follow.3SG.PRES.DEP
207.11a Hī these-men summō on-the-top-of in on fluctū the-wave pendent hang; hīs for-these unda the-wave dehīscēns gaping-open terram the-ground inter between fluctūs the-waves aperit lays-open.
207.11b Hī /hiː/ this.M.NOM.PL summō /ˈsʊm.moː/ highest.M.ABL.SG in /ɪn/ on(+ABL) fluctū /ˈflʊk.tuː/ wave.M.ABL.SG pendent /ˈpɛn.dɛnt/ hang.3PL.PRES hīs /hiːs/ this.M.DAT.PL unda /ˈʊn.da/ wave.F.NOM.SG dehīscēns /dɛˈhiːs.keːns/ gape.PRES.PTCP.F.NOM.SG terram /ˈtɛr.ram/ ground.F.ACC.SG inter /ˈɪn.tɛr/ between(+ACC) fluctūs /ˈflʊk.tuːs/ wave.M.ACC.PL aperit /ˈa.pɛ.rɪt/ open.3SG.PRES
207.12a Somnus Sleep Palinūrum Palinurus cum with gubernāclō the-rudder liquidās clear prōiēcit threw-headlong in into undās the-waves.
207.12b Somnus /ˈsɔm.nʊs/ Sleep.M.NOM.SG Palinūrum /pa.lɪˈnuː.rʊm/ Palinurus.M.ACC.SG cum /kʊm/ with(+ABL) gubernāclō /ɡʊ.bɛrˈnaː.kloː/ rudder.N.ABL.SG liquidās /ˈlɪ.kʷɪ.daːs/ clear.F.ACC.PL prōiēcit /proːˈjeː.kɪt/ throw-forth.3SG.PERF in /ɪn/ into(+ACC) undās /ˈʊn.daːs/ wave.F.ACC.PL
207.13a Ariadna Ariadne prōspicit gazes-out et and magnīs on-great cūrārum of-cares fluctuat she-tosses undīs waves.
207.13b Ariadna /a.rɪˈad.na/ Ariadne.F.NOM.SG prōspicit /ˈproː.spɪ.kɪt/ look-out.3SG.PRES et /ɛt/ and magnīs /ˈmaɡ.niːs/ great.F.ABL.PL cūrārum /kuːˈraː.rʊm/ care.F.GEN.PL fluctuat /ˈflʊk.tʊ.at/ toss.3SG.PRES undīs /ˈʊn.diːs/ wave.F.ABL.PL
207.14a Tristis the-grim unda water omnibus by-all quīcumque whoever terrae of-the-earth mūnere on-the-gift vescimur we-feed, ēnāviganda must-be-sailed-across est is.
207.14b Tristis /ˈtrɪs.tɪs/ grim.F.NOM.SG unda /ˈʊn.da/ wave.F.NOM.SG omnibus /ˈɔm.nɪ.bʊs/ all.M.DAT.PL quīcumque /kʷiːˈkʊm.kʷɛ/ whoever.M.NOM.PL terrae /ˈtɛr.rae̯/ earth.F.GEN.SG mūnere /ˈmuː.nɛ.rɛ/ gift.N.ABL.SG vescimur /ˈwɛs.kɪ.mʊr/ feed-on.1PL.PRES.DEP(+ABL) ēnāviganda /eː.naː.wɪˈɡan.da/ sail-across.GERV.F.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES
207.15a Ibi there Simoīs the-Simois tot so-many scūta shields virum of-men galeāsque and-helmets et and fortia brave corpora bodies correpta seized sub beneath undīs the-waves volvit rolls.
207.15b Ibi /ˈɪ.bɪ/ there.ADV Simoīs /ˈsɪ.mɔ.iːs/ Simois.M.NOM.SG tot /tɔt/ so-many.INDECL scūta /ˈskuː.ta/ shield.N.ACC.PL virum /ˈwɪ.rʊm/ man.M.GEN.PL galeāsque /ɡa.lɛˈaːs.kʷɛ/ helmet.F.ACC.PL-and et /ɛt/ and fortia /ˈfɔr.tɪ.a/ brave.N.ACC.PL corpora /ˈkɔr.pɔ.ra/ body.N.ACC.PL correpta /kɔrˈrɛp.ta/ seize.PERF.PASS.PTCP.N.ACC.PL sub /sʊb/ under(+ABL) undīs /ˈʊn.diːs/ wave.F.ABL.PL volvit /ˈwɔl.wɪt/ roll.3SG.PRES
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
207.1 Unda venit. → "A wave is coming."
207.2 Undae sonant. → "The waves are roaring."
207.3 Puer undās spectat. → "The boy is watching the waves."
207.4 Unda lītus pulsat. → "The wave beats against the shore."
207.5 Nāvis undīs iactātur. → "The ship is tossed by the waves."
207.6 Ventus magnās undās in marī excitat. → "The wind raises great waves on the sea."
207.7 Puellae in undīs lūdēbant, dum māter in harēnā sedēbat. → "The girls were playing in the waves while their mother sat on the sand."
207.8 Piscātor rēte in undās iēcit. → "The fisherman cast his net into the waves."
207.9 Flūminis unda clāra est et frīgida. → "The river's water is clear and cold."
207.10 Ut unda undam pellit, sīc diēs diem sequitur. → "As wave drives on wave, so day follows day." (A sentence composed for this lesson on Ovid's image in Section F; not a quotation.)
207.11 Hī summō in fluctū pendent; hīs unda dehīscēns terram inter fluctūs aperit. → "Some hang on the crest of a wave; for others the yawning water lays bare the sea-floor between the waves." (Vergil, Aeneid 1.106–107.)
207.12 Somnus Palinūrum cum gubernāclō liquidās prōiēcit in undās. → "Sleep flung Palinurus, rudder and all, headlong into the clear waters." (Adapted from Vergil, Aeneid 5.858–860.)
207.13 Ariadna prōspicit et magnīs cūrārum fluctuat undīs. → "Ariadne gazes out to sea and is tossed on great waves of sorrow." (Adapted from Catullus 64.61–62.)
207.14 Tristis unda omnibus, quīcumque terrae mūnere vescimur, ēnāviganda est. → "The grim water must be crossed by all of us who live on the gifts of the earth." (Adapted from Horace, Odes 2.14.8–11.)
207.15 Ibi Simoīs tot scūta virum galeāsque et fortia corpora correpta sub undīs volvit. → "There the Simois rolls beneath its waters so many shields and helmets of men, and their brave bodies, swept away." (Adapted from Vergil, Aeneid 1.100–101.)
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
207.1 Unda venit.
207.2 Undae sonant.
207.3 Puer undās spectat.
207.4 Unda lītus pulsat.
207.5 Nāvis undīs iactātur.
207.6 Ventus magnās undās in marī excitat.
207.7 Puellae in undīs lūdēbant, dum māter in harēnā sedēbat.
207.8 Piscātor rēte in undās iēcit.
207.9 Flūminis unda clāra est et frīgida.
207.10 Ut unda undam pellit, sīc diēs diem sequitur.
207.11 Hī summō in fluctū pendent; hīs unda dehīscēns terram inter fluctūs aperit.
207.12 Somnus Palinūrum cum gubernāclō liquidās prōiēcit in undās.
207.13 Ariadna prōspicit et magnīs cūrārum fluctuat undīs.
207.14 Tristis unda omnibus, quīcumque terrae mūnere vescimur, ēnāviganda est.
207.15 Ibi Simoīs tot scūta virum galeāsque et fortia corpora correpta sub undīs volvit.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
These are the grammar rules for unda in Classical Latin:
The paradigm. Unda is a regular first-declension feminine noun, declined exactly like puella:
Singular: nominative unda, genitive undae, dative undae, accusative undam, ablative undā, vocative unda.
Plural: nominative undae, genitive undārum, dative undīs, accusative undās, ablative undīs, vocative undae.
As with every first-declension noun, three forms look alike in an unmarked text: undae can be genitive singular, dative singular or nominative plural, and unda can be nominative or ablative (undā). Macrons settle the second question; the verb and the rest of the sentence settle the first. In 207.2 undae is nominative plural, because sonant is plural.
Unda and its neighbours. Latin divides the English words "wave" and "sea" among several nouns: unda, -ae f. — a wave; in poetry often "water," "stream," "the waters." The poets' word. fluctus, -ūs m. — a wave, a billow; the usual prose word, from fluō, "flow." mare, maris n. — the sea, the plain word. aequor, -oris n. — "the level," the open sea; poetic. pontus, -ī m. — the sea, a Greek word; poetic. In 207.11 Vergil uses unda and fluctus side by side for variety. In 207.9, 207.12 and 207.15 unda means the water of a river or of the sea, not a single wave.
The ablative of means or cause: undīs iactātur. "By the waves" is a plain ablative, without ā or ab (207.5). Ā/ab with the ablative marks a personal agent ("by the sailors," ā nautīs); a thing or a force of nature stands in the plain ablative. Ovid does the same in Section F: unda inpellitur undā, "wave is driven on by wave."
In with two cases. In + accusative marks motion into: in undās iēcit, "threw into the waves" (207.8, 207.12). In + ablative marks place where: in undīs lūdēbant, "were playing in the waves" (207.7). In 207.12 the preposition stands after its adjective (liquidās... in undās), a common order in verse.
The figurative genitive: magnīs cūrārum undīs. In 207.13 the genitive cūrārum tells us what the waves are made of: "waves of cares." Latin poets readily speak of waves of grief, anger or love, and the verb fluctuāre ("to toss like a wave") belongs to the same family of images.
Other constructions in Section A: dum... sedēbat (207.7): dum with the imperfect, "while (all the time that)," when both actions last equally long. ut... sīc (207.10): "as... so," a comparison. Unda undam pellit puts the nominative and accusative of the same noun side by side; the endings alone show which wave pushes and which is pushed. hīs (207.11): dative of reference, "for these," i.e. "for others." Summō in fluctū means "on the top of the wave"; summus here means "the top of," not "the highest." cum gubernāclō (207.12): cum + ablative means "together with": Palinurus falls with the rudder still in his hands. ēnāviganda est omnibus (207.14): the gerundive of obligation, "must be sailed across," with the dative of agent omnibus, "by all." Quīcumque... vescimur is first person: "all of us who…" Vescor is deponent and takes the ablative: terrae mūnere vescimur, "we feed on the gift of the earth." virum (207.15): an old genitive plural of vir, equal to virōrum, common in epic. Correpta agrees with the neuter plurals scūta and corpora.
Compounds and derivatives to recognise: undāre — "to surge, rise in waves." abundāre — "to overflow, abound" (ab + unda: "to flow over"). redundāre — "to overflow, stream back." inundāre — "to flood." undōsus — "full of waves, billowy."
Common mistakes: Pronouncing unda with a long u ("oon-da"). The u is short: UN-da, /ˈʊn.da/. Confusing unda with unde ("from where") or undique ("from all sides"). They are not related; read the ending. Using ā/ab for the waves as agent. "Tossed by the waves" is undīs iactātus, not ab undīs iactātus. Translating unda always as "wave." In poetry undae is often best rendered "the waters" or "the sea." Writing undam for the plural. The accusative plural is undās; undam is singular.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Frequency and register. Unda is common in Latin poetry and much rarer in prose, where fluctus is the usual word for a wave. Its place at rank 207 in the Dickinson list reflects its great frequency in Vergil and Ovid, who are central to any reading course. A reader of Caesar may hardly meet it; a reader of the Aeneid meets it on almost every page of a sea passage.
The sea in the Aeneid. The storm of Aeneid 1 is the first great sea-piece in Latin epic. Aeneas, terrified, wishes he had died at Troy, "where the Simois rolls so many shields and helmets and brave bodies of men, swept away beneath its waves" (207.15). Then the storm strikes: some ships hang on the crest, while for others the yawning water opens down to the sea-bed (207.11). At the end of Book 5 the helmsman Palinurus, overcome by the god Sleep, is thrown into the sea with the rudder in his hands (207.12); he is the price Neptune demands for the fleet's safe passage to Italy.
Waves of feeling. Catullus describes Ariadne, abandoned by Theseus on the shore of Naxos, gazing after his ship "like a stone statue of a bacchant" and tossed on great waves of cares (207.13). The image of emotion as a sea is everywhere in Latin, and so is the political sea of storms and calms. Cicero preserves a proverb for a great fuss about nothing: excitābat fluctūs in simpulō, "he stirred up waves in a ladle," said of his grandfather's opponent Gratidius (De Lēgibus 3.36). The Romans' "storm in a ladle" is our "storm in a teacup." Note that the proverb uses fluctus, the prose word.
The water of the dead. In Odes 2.14 Horace reminds his friend Postumus that no sacrifice can buy off Pluto, who confines even giants "with the grim water," and that this water must be crossed by all of us who live on the gifts of the earth, kings and poor farmers alike (207.14). The unda is the river of the underworld; the verb ēnāvigāre, "to sail out across," turns the voyage into a journey everyone must make.
Wave after wave. Ovid gives the old philosophical image of time as a river to Pythagoras in the last book of the Metamorphoses: as each wave drives on the next, so the moments of time flee and follow at once (Section F). The image goes back to Heraclitus, who said that one cannot step twice into the same river. Sentence 207.10 is a plain-prose sentence composed on Ovid's thought; it is not a quotation.
The word in English. Through French and Latin, unda lies behind abundance (water "flowing over"), redundancy (water "flowing back," and so more than is needed), inundation, undulation, and even surround, which first meant "to overflow" and only later, by association with "round," "to encircle."
This is a lesson for English speakers learning Classical Latin.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Source: Ovid, Metamorphōsēs 15.179–185 (Pythagoras on the flow of time)
Part F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a ipsa themselves quoque also adsiduō in-constant lābuntur glide-by tempora the-times mōtū motion
F.1b ipsa /ˈɪp.sa/ self.N.NOM.PL quoque /ˈkʷɔ.kʷɛ/ also adsiduō /adˈsɪ.dʊ.oː/ constant.M.ABL.SG lābuntur /laːˈbʊn.tʊr/ glide.3PL.PRES.DEP tempora /ˈtɛm.pɔ.ra/ time.N.NOM.PL mōtū /ˈmoː.tuː/ motion.M.ABL.SG
F.2a nōn not secus otherwise ac than flūmen a-river neque nor enim for cōnsistere to-stand-still flūmen a-river
F.2b nōn /noːn/ not secus /ˈsɛ.kʊs/ otherwise.ADV ac /ak/ than flūmen /ˈfluː.mɛn/ river.N.NOM.SG neque /ˈnɛ.kʷɛ/ and-not enim /ˈɛ.nɪm/ for cōnsistere /koːnˈsɪs.tɛ.rɛ/ stand-still.PRES.INF flūmen /ˈfluː.mɛn/ river.N.NOM.SG
F.3a nec nor levis the-swift hōra hour potest can sed but ut as unda wave inpellitur is-driven-on undā by-wave
F.3b nec /nɛk/ nor levis /ˈlɛ.wɪs/ light.F.NOM.SG hōra /ˈhoː.ra/ hour.F.NOM.SG potest /ˈpɔ.tɛst/ be-able.3SG.PRES sed /sɛd/ but ut /ʊt/ as unda /ˈʊn.da/ wave.F.NOM.SG inpellitur /ɪmˈpɛl.lɪ.tʊr/ drive-on.3SG.PRES.PASS undā /ˈʊn.daː/ wave.F.ABL.SG
F.4a urgēturque and-is-pressed prior the-earlier veniente by-the-coming-one urgetque and-presses priōrem the-earlier-one
F.4b urgēturque /ʊr.ɡeːˈtʊr.kʷɛ/ press.3SG.PRES.PASS-and prior /ˈprɪ.ɔr/ earlier.F.NOM.SG veniente /wɛ.nɪˈɛn.tɛ/ come.PRES.PTCP.F.ABL.SG urgetque /ʊrˈɡɛt.kʷɛ/ press.3SG.PRES-and priōrem /prɪˈoː.rɛm/ earlier.F.ACC.SG
F.5a tempora the-times sīc so fugiunt flee pariter equally pariterque and-equally sequuntur follow
F.5b tempora /ˈtɛm.pɔ.ra/ time.N.NOM.PL sīc /siːk/ so.ADV fugiunt /ˈfʊ.ɡɪ.ʊnt/ flee.3PL.PRES pariter /ˈpa.rɪ.tɛr/ equally.ADV pariterque /pa.rɪˈtɛr.kʷɛ/ equally.ADV-and sequuntur /sɛˈkʷʊn.tʊr/ follow.3PL.PRES.DEP
F.6a et and nova new sunt are semper always nam for quod what fuit was ante before relictum left-behind est is
F.6b et /ɛt/ and nova /ˈnɔ.wa/ new.N.NOM.PL sunt /sʊnt/ be.3PL.PRES semper /ˈsɛm.pɛr/ always.ADV nam /nam/ for quod /kʷɔd/ which.N.NOM.SG fuit /ˈfʊ.ɪt/ be.3SG.PERF ante /ˈan.tɛ/ before.ADV relictum /rɛˈlɪk.tʊm/ leave.PERF.PASS.PTCP.N.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES
F.7a fitque and-comes-to-be quod what haud not fuerat had-been mōmentaque and-the-moments cūncta all novantur are-renewed
F.7b fitque /ˈfɪt.kʷɛ/ become.3SG.PRES-and quod /kʷɔd/ which.N.NOM.SG haud /hau̯d/ not fuerat /ˈfʊ.ɛ.rat/ be.3SG.PLUPERF mōmentaque /moː.mɛnˈta.kʷɛ/ moment.N.NOM.PL-and cūncta /ˈkuːŋk.ta/ all.N.NOM.PL novantur /nɔˈwan.tʊr/ renew.3PL.PRES.PASS
Part F-B: The Text from F-A with Translation
ipsa quoque adsiduō lābuntur tempora mōtū, nōn secus ac flūmen; neque enim cōnsistere flūmen nec levis hōra potest: sed ut unda inpellitur undā urgēturque prior veniente urgetque priōrem, tempora sīc fugiunt pariter pariterque sequuntur et nova sunt semper; nam quod fuit ante, relictum est, fitque, quod haud fuerat, mōmentaque cūncta novantur.
→ "Time itself, too, glides on in constant motion, just like a river; for neither a river nor the swift hour can stand still. But as wave is driven on by wave, and each, pressed by the one that comes behind, presses the one before, so the moments flee and follow at the same time, and are always new. For what was before is left behind, and what had not been comes to be, and every moment is made new."
Part F-C: Original Latin Text Only
ipsa quoque adsiduō lābuntur tempora mōtū, nōn secus ac flūmen; neque enim cōnsistere flūmen nec levis hōra potest: sed ut unda inpellitur undā urgēturque prior veniente urgetque priōrem, tempora sīc fugiunt pariter pariterque sequuntur et nova sunt semper; nam quod fuit ante, relictum est, fitque, quod haud fuerat, mōmentaque cūncta novantur.
Part F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
The passage comes from the long speech of Pythagoras that fills much of the last book of the Metamorphoses. Its theme is that nothing keeps its form: cūncta fluunt, "everything flows," Pythagoras has just said (15.178). Here he turns from things to time itself.
The comparison is built in two stages. First a simple simile: time glides "not otherwise than a river" (nōn secus ac flūmen; ac after secus means "than, as"). Then an extended one, introduced by ut... sīc: "as wave is driven by wave..., so the times flee." Unda inpellitur undā sets the nominative and the ablative of the same word side by side, so the line itself shows one wave pushing the next. Undā is a plain ablative of means: a wave is a thing, not a person, so no ā/ab is needed.
The fourth line is compressed. The subject is still unda, and prior agrees with it: the wave, which is "the earlier" with respect to the wave behind it, is pressed by that wave as it comes (veniente, ablative of the present participle, "by the one coming"), and in turn presses the wave in front (priōrem). Some editions read urgēturque eadem veniens, "and the same wave, as it comes, is pressed"; the sense is the same. Note the quantities: urgētur keeps its long ē before -tur, while urget shortens it before final -t.
Tempora (plural) means "times," "moments": the moments of time behave like the waves, fleeing and following pariter pariterque, "equally and equally," i.e. at one and the same time. The last two lines explain why they are always new: quod fuit ante, relictum est ("what was before has been left behind") and fit quod haud fuerat ("what had not been comes into being"). The pluperfect fuerat looks back from the moment of becoming. Mōmentum (from movēre) is literally "a movement," and so "a moment."
The text above follows the Latin Library, which prints the older spellings inpellitur (for impellitur) and adsiduō (for assiduō); both are good Latin, and the n before p was in any case pronounced m. The Latin Library prints haut, a variant spelling of haud.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
This is a short descriptive text composed for this lesson (it is not a quotation). It follows a single day on the shore, from the calm of morning through the wind of midday to the quiet of evening, and uses unda in most of its cases.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
207.16a Māne in-the-morning ad to lītus the-shore maris of-the-sea ambulō I-walk.
207.16b Māne /ˈmaː.nɛ/ in-the-morning.ADV ad /ad/ to(+ACC) lītus /ˈliː.tʊs/ shore.N.ACC.SG maris /ˈma.rɪs/ sea.N.GEN.SG ambulō /ˈam.bʊ.loː/ walk.1SG.PRES
207.17a Mare the-sea tranquillum calm est is, et and undae waves lēnēs gentle in onto harēnam the-sand lābuntur glide.
207.17b Mare /ˈma.rɛ/ sea.N.NOM.SG tranquillum /traŋˈkʷɪl.lʊm/ calm.N.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES et /ɛt/ and undae /ˈʊn.dae̯/ wave.F.NOM.PL lēnēs /ˈleː.neːs/ gentle.F.NOM.PL in /ɪn/ onto(+ACC) harēnam /haˈreː.nam/ sand.F.ACC.SG lābuntur /laːˈbʊn.tʊr/ glide.3PL.PRES.DEP
207.18a Unda wave post after undam wave venit comes et and redit goes-back.
207.18b Unda /ˈʊn.da/ wave.F.NOM.SG post /pɔst/ after(+ACC) undam /ˈʊn.dam/ wave.F.ACC.SG venit /ˈwɛ.nɪt/ come.3SG.PRES et /ɛt/ and redit /ˈrɛ.dɪt/ return.3SG.PRES
207.19a Sonus the-sound undārum of-the-waves dulcis sweet est is.
207.19b Sonus /ˈsɔ.nʊs/ sound.M.NOM.SG undārum /ʊnˈdaː.rʊm/ wave.F.GEN.PL dulcis /ˈdʊl.kɪs/ sweet.M.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES
207.20a Avēs birds albae white super over undās the-waves volant fly et and piscēs fish quaerunt look-for.
207.20b Avēs /ˈa.weːs/ bird.F.NOM.PL albae /ˈal.bae̯/ white.F.NOM.PL super /ˈsʊ.pɛr/ over(+ACC) undās /ˈʊn.daːs/ wave.F.ACC.PL volant /ˈwɔ.lant/ fly.3PL.PRES et /ɛt/ and piscēs /ˈpɪs.keːs/ fish.M.ACC.PL quaerunt /ˈkʷae̯.rʊnt/ seek.3PL.PRES
207.21a Procul far-off nāvicula a-little-boat in on undīs the-waves lēniter gently movētur is-moved.
207.21b Procul /ˈprɔ.kʊl/ far-off.ADV nāvicula /naːˈwɪ.kʊ.la/ little-boat.F.NOM.SG in /ɪn/ on(+ABL) undīs /ˈʊn.diːs/ wave.F.ABL.PL lēniter /ˈleː.nɪ.tɛr/ gently.ADV movētur /mɔˈweː.tʊr/ move.3SG.PRES.PASS
207.22a Puerī the-boys pedēs their-feet in in undā the-water frīgidā cold lavant wash.
207.22b Puerī /ˈpʊ.ɛ.riː/ boy.M.NOM.PL pedēs /ˈpɛ.deːs/ foot.M.ACC.PL in /ɪn/ in(+ABL) undā /ˈʊn.daː/ wave.F.ABL.SG frīgidā /ˈfriː.ɡɪ.daː/ cold.F.ABL.SG lavant /ˈla.want/ wash.3PL.PRES
207.23a Merīdiē at-midday ventus the-wind surgit rises, et and undae the-waves crēscunt grow.
207.23b Merīdiē /mɛˈriː.dɪ.eː/ midday.M.ABL.SG ventus /ˈwɛn.tʊs/ wind.M.NOM.SG surgit /ˈsʊr.ɡɪt/ rise.3SG.PRES et /ɛt/ and undae /ˈʊn.dae̯/ wave.F.NOM.PL crēscunt /ˈkreːs.kʊnt/ grow.3PL.PRES
207.24a Iam now undae the-waves spūmantēs foaming in on saxa the-rocks franguntur are-broken.
207.24b Iam /jam/ now.ADV undae /ˈʊn.dae̯/ wave.F.NOM.PL spūmantēs /spuːˈman.teːs/ foam.PRES.PTCP.F.NOM.PL in /ɪn/ against(+ACC) saxa /ˈsak.sa/ rock.N.ACC.PL franguntur /fraŋˈɡʊn.tʊr/ break.3PL.PRES.PASS
207.25a Nautae the-sailors nāvem the-ship ad to portum the-harbour dūcunt bring, quod because undās the-waves timent they-fear.
207.25b Nautae /ˈnau̯.tae̯/ sailor.M.NOM.PL nāvem /ˈnaː.wɛm/ ship.F.ACC.SG ad /ad/ to(+ACC) portum /ˈpɔr.tʊm/ harbour.M.ACC.SG dūcunt /ˈduː.kʊnt/ lead.3PL.PRES quod /kʷɔd/ because undās /ˈʊn.daːs/ wave.F.ACC.PL timent /ˈtɪ.mɛnt/ fear.3PL.PRES
207.26a Poētae the-poets dīcunt say Neptūnum Neptune undās the-waves regere to-rule.
207.26b Poētae /pɔˈeː.tae̯/ poet.M.NOM.PL dīcunt /ˈdiː.kʊnt/ say.3PL.PRES Neptūnum /nɛpˈtuː.nʊm/ Neptune.M.ACC.SG undās /ˈʊn.daːs/ wave.F.ACC.PL regere /ˈrɛ.ɡɛ.rɛ/ rule.PRES.INF
207.27a Vesperī in-the-evening ventus the-wind cadit falls et and undae the-waves quiēscunt grow-quiet.
207.27b Vesperī /ˈwɛs.pɛ.riː/ in-the-evening.ADV ventus /ˈwɛn.tʊs/ wind.M.NOM.SG cadit /ˈka.dɪt/ fall.3SG.PRES et /ɛt/ and undae /ˈʊn.dae̯/ wave.F.NOM.PL quiēscunt /kʷɪˈeːs.kʊnt/ rest.3PL.PRES
207.28a Sōl the-sun in into undās the-waves occidere to-set vidētur seems.
207.28b Sōl /soːl/ sun.M.NOM.SG in /ɪn/ into(+ACC) undās /ˈʊn.daːs/ wave.F.ACC.PL occidere /ɔkˈkɪ.dɛ.rɛ/ set.PRES.INF vidētur /wɪˈdeː.tʊr/ seem.3SG.PRES.PASS
207.29a Lūna the-moon surgit rises, et and lūmen the-light eius of-it in on undīs the-waves tremit trembles.
207.29b Lūna /ˈluː.na/ moon.F.NOM.SG surgit /ˈsʊr.ɡɪt/ rise.3SG.PRES et /ɛt/ and lūmen /ˈluː.mɛn/ light.N.NOM.SG eius /ˈɛj.jʊs/ it.F.GEN.SG in /ɪn/ on(+ABL) undīs /ˈʊn.diːs/ wave.F.ABL.PL tremit /ˈtrɛ.mɪt/ tremble.3SG.PRES
207.30a Domum home redeō I-return, sed but sonum the-sound undārum of-the-waves in in animō my-mind servō I-keep.
207.30b Domum /ˈdɔ.mʊm/ home.F.ACC.SG redeō /ˈrɛ.dɛ.oː/ return.1SG.PRES sed /sɛd/ but sonum /ˈsɔ.nʊm/ sound.M.ACC.SG undārum /ʊnˈdaː.rʊm/ wave.F.GEN.PL in /ɪn/ in(+ABL) animō /ˈa.nɪ.moː/ mind.M.ABL.SG servō /ˈsɛr.woː/ keep.1SG.PRES
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Part B: Natural Sentences
207.16 Māne ad lītus maris ambulō. → "In the morning I walk down to the seashore."
207.17 Mare tranquillum est, et undae lēnēs in harēnam lābuntur. → "The sea is calm, and gentle waves slide up onto the sand."
207.18 Unda post undam venit et redit. → "Wave after wave comes in and draws back."
207.19 Sonus undārum dulcis est. → "The sound of the waves is sweet."
207.20 Avēs albae super undās volant et piscēs quaerunt. → "White birds fly over the waves, looking for fish."
207.21 Procul nāvicula in undīs lēniter movētur. → "Far off, a little boat rocks gently on the waves."
207.22 Puerī pedēs in undā frīgidā lavant. → "The boys wash their feet in the cold water."
207.23 Merīdiē ventus surgit, et undae crēscunt. → "At midday the wind gets up and the waves grow."
207.24 Iam undae spūmantēs in saxa franguntur. → "Now the waves, foaming, break against the rocks."
207.25 Nautae nāvem ad portum dūcunt, quod undās timent. → "The sailors bring their ship into harbour, because they are afraid of the waves."
207.26 Poētae dīcunt Neptūnum undās regere. → "The poets say that Neptune rules the waves."
207.27 Vesperī ventus cadit et undae quiēscunt. → "In the evening the wind drops and the waves grow still."
207.28 Sōl in undās occidere vidētur. → "The sun seems to set into the waves."
207.29 Lūna surgit, et lūmen eius in undīs tremit. → "The moon rises, and its light trembles on the water."
207.30 Domum redeō, sed sonum undārum in animō servō. → "I go back home, but I keep the sound of the waves in my mind."
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Part C: Latin Text Only
207.16 Māne ad lītus maris ambulō.
207.17 Mare tranquillum est, et undae lēnēs in harēnam lābuntur.
207.18 Unda post undam venit et redit.
207.19 Sonus undārum dulcis est.
207.20 Avēs albae super undās volant et piscēs quaerunt.
207.21 Procul nāvicula in undīs lēniter movētur.
207.22 Puerī pedēs in undā frīgidā lavant.
207.23 Merīdiē ventus surgit, et undae crēscunt.
207.24 Iam undae spūmantēs in saxa franguntur.
207.25 Nautae nāvem ad portum dūcunt, quod undās timent.
207.26 Poētae dīcunt Neptūnum undās regere.
207.27 Vesperī ventus cadit et undae quiēscunt.
207.28 Sōl in undās occidere vidētur.
207.29 Lūna surgit, et lūmen eius in undīs tremit.
207.30 Domum redeō, sed sonum undārum in animō servō.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Part D: Grammar Notes for Genre Section
The descriptive text uses every case of unda that a reader is likely to meet: nominative singular unda (207.18), accusative singular undam (207.18), ablative singular undā (207.22), nominative plural undae (207.17, 207.23, 207.24, 207.27), genitive plural undārum (207.19, 207.30), accusative plural undās (207.20, 207.25, 207.26, 207.28) and ablative plural undīs (207.21, 207.29).
Time words without prepositions. Māne ("in the morning," 207.16) and vesperī ("in the evening," 207.27) are adverbs; merīdiē ("at midday," 207.23) is the ablative of merīdiēs, an ablative of time when. None needs a preposition.
Unda post undam (207.18): post + accusative, "after." The phrase is the descriptive version of Ovid's unda inpellitur undā.
In with the accusative and the ablative again: in harēnam lābuntur, "glide onto the sand" (207.17, motion); in saxa franguntur, "break against the rocks" (207.24, motion); in undās occidere, "to set into the waves" (207.28, motion); but in undīs movētur, "moves on the waves" (207.21, place), and in undā lavant, "wash in the water" (207.22, place).
Accusative and infinitive (207.26): after a verb of saying, the reported statement has its subject in the accusative (Neptūnum) and its verb in the infinitive (regere): "the poets say Neptune to rule the waves" = "say that Neptune rules the waves."
Vidētur with the infinitive (207.28): sōl occidere vidētur, "the sun seems to set." The subject of vidētur is the sun itself; Latin says "the sun is seen to set," where English prefers "it seems that the sun sets."
Domum (207.30) is accusative of motion towards without a preposition, like the names of towns: domum redeō, "I return home."
Passive verbs of natural motion: movētur ("is moved, rocks," 207.21) and franguntur ("are broken, break," 207.24) are passive in form; English often renders them with an intransitive active verb.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Vowel length. The macrons in this lesson mark long vowels. They are editorial aids: Romans did not write them. Unda has no long vowel in its stem, so the only macrons in its paradigm fall on the endings: undā, undārum, undīs, undās. They matter: undā (ablative singular) and unda (nominative singular) differ only in the length of the final vowel, and in verse that length is heard in the metre (unda inpellitur undā).
Stress. Latin stress falls on the second-to-last syllable if that syllable is heavy, and otherwise on the third-from-last. Two-syllable words are always stressed on the first: UN-da, UN-dae, UN-dīs. In the genitive plural the long -dā- draws the stress: un-DĀ-rum.
Enclitic -que. When -que is attached to a word, the stress moves to the syllable just before it: pa-ri-TER-que, ga-le-ĀS-que, ur-gē-TUR-que.
Consonants. The n of unda is a plain dental n before d. In inpellitur (F.3) the n stands before p and is pronounced m, which is why the word is more often spelled impellitur. The c of dehīscēns, prōspicit and occidere is always hard /k/.
Greek names. Simoīs (Greek Σιμόεις) has a long final ī, and its genitive is Simoentis. Ariadna is the Latin form of Greek Ariadne; Latin poets use both Ariadna and Ariadnē.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
---
Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)