Monday, December 31, 2007

Plural of Prius?

Thetruthaboutcars.com has an interesting post about the correct plural of the word Prius, using correct Latin grammar of course. Here's a tidbit.

Previously, on "You Need To Get A Life," Trib author Jan Freeman declared that the appropriate term for more than one Toyota Prius was "Prioria." Reader Christopher Casey took exception, kinda. "You were right that Prius is the neuter nominative/accusative singular of the adjective prior, but the plural forms of the word - which means 'earlier, better, more important'- would be Priora, not Prioria." Freeman rang-up Harry Mount, author of "Carpe Diem" (a.k.a. "Latin isn't half as dull as you think it is. More like a quarter"). "Yes, it's Priora," he told Freeman, "because it's neuter plural. But if you cheated a bit and made the car masculine or feminine - and I do think of cars as female - then it would be Priores. And Priores has nice undertones of grandness - Virgil used it to mean 'forefathers' or 'ancestors.'


And people cal Latin a dead language, hah!

I am using this post about Latin Grammar as an excuse to post a clip of Monty Python's Life of Brian which covers a similar topic.

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