Compound Adjectives of Colour generally follow the same rule: as, : But frequently they are treated as Substantives used appositively :- Obs. —châtain has no fem., and remains unchanged in the plur., if modified by another adj.: as, Des cheveux châtains, but— Des cheveux châtain clair. B. ALPHABETICAL LIST OF ADJECTIVES (AND NOUNS USED ADJECTIVELY) N.B.-Adjectives ending in -e mute (unchanged in f.), in -f (f. -ve); in -x (f. -se), in -c (f. -que), in -eur (f. -euse or -eure), in -n (f. -nne), or -el, -eil (f. -elle, -eille), are not included in this list. 97 V.-GENDER OF NOUNS. (a) NOUNS OF Different GENDER IN THE Singular AND Plural:— Tous, however, has this peculiarity, that it keeps its masc. form before gens, as Tous les gens, tous les honnêtes gens, etc. unless it be followed by another adjective that has a distinct form for the feminine; as Toutes les vieilles gens; but- Tous les jeunes gens. The anomaly arises from a conflict between the original gender of gens (Lat. gentes), which is feminine, and the sex of the persons it denotes—men, folks, etc. (6) NOUNS OF BOTH GENDERS ACCORDING TO THEIR MEANING :— Masculine. un aigle [aquila], eagle, un aune [alnus], aldertree, quelque chose, something, indef. pron., un couple, couple (male and female), le crêpe [crispus], crape, un œuvre, work (of an engraver or musician), le foret (fr. the verb forer), gimlet, le manche [manica], handle, le mémoire (memoria), memorandum, le mode [modus], mood, Feminine. une aigle, standard (female eagle), une aune [ulna], ell, yard, la chose, the thing, une couple, brace, two of a sort, la crêpe, pancake, une œuvre [pl. opera], work in general, la forêt [med. Lat. forestis], forest, la foudre [fulgurem], lightning, la greffe, graft, scion, la livre [libra], pound, £, la manche [manicae], sleeve, la mémoire, memory, la mode, fashion, le moule [modulus], model, mould, | la moule [musculus], mussel, pattern, le mousse (Ital. mozzo), midshipman, l'office [officium], office, duty, le page [raidiov】, page (attendant) le voile [velum], veil, la mousse [Germ. Moos], moss, une office, servants' hall, pantry, la page [pagina], page (of a book), la pendule, timepiece, la période, period, la personne, person, subst. la poêle [patella], frying-pan, la poste [Low. Lat. positia], post, post la somme [summa], sum, la souris [soricem], mouse, la tour [turris], tower, la vapeur, steam, vapour, [office, la vase (Anglo-Sax. vase), mud, slime, la voile [pl. vela], sail. It will be seen that most are also of different origin. 98 VI.-RULES OF GENDER. I.-The Gender determined by DERIVATION. Upwards of 90 per cent of French Nouns have the same gender as the Latin words from which they are derived, reckoning the French Masculine as the substitute for Latin Neuter Nouns, most of which have become Masculine in French. General Rules:-(1) Most French Nouns derived from LATIN MASCULINE Chief Exceptions. la comète [cometes]. la planète [planetae, pl. m.] la puce [pulicem], la poudre [pulverem]. un arc. Important Exception: Most Latin Nouns in -or, -os, have become Feminine in French : la couleur, la fleur, les mœurs, etc. (2) Most French Nouns derived from LATIN NEUTER Nouns have remained MASCULINE IN FRENCH : 3. Most French Nouns derived from LATIN FEMININE Nouns have remained FEMININE IN FRENCH : Chief Exceptions. un épi [epica], le lézard [lacerta]. un ongle [ungula], le rossignol [lusciniola]. les thermes [thermæ]. un orchestre [orchestra]. le tilleul [tiliola]; and most names of trees (see II.) le cyprès [cupressus], le pin [pinus], etc. un atome [atomus]. le paragraphe [paragraphus]. le dialecte [dialectus]. le diamètre, [diametrus]. le phare [pharus]. un arbre [arborem], un art [artem]. un appendice [appendicem]. le front [frontem]. le poison [potionem]. le soupçon [suspicionem]. le sort [sortem], but- la sorte. le vertige [vertigo], le diocèse [diocesis]. le jaspe [jaspis]. le porche, portique [porticus]. un rien (rem). la face [faciem], face. |