[ˈsɛ.nɛks], [ˈsɛː.neks]
OriginPIE word
*sénos
From Proto-Italic *seneks, from Proto-Indo-European *sénos (“old”). Sihler holds the former inflection to be a consonant stem *sē, senis, with some remodeled endings taken from the antonym iuvenis; others propose an o-stem *senos (but this leaves the remade nominative singular less clearly motivated).
Nonetheless, the apparent discrepancy between the nominative senex and the oblique root sen- may reflect a Proto-Italic root *seneɣ-, which in Old Latin would yield senex in the nominative and *seneh- (later contracted to sen-) in the oblique. Cognates include Lithuanian senis (“old man”), Ancient Greek ἕνος (hénos), Old Irish sen, Proto-Brythonic *hen, Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬥𐬀 (hana, “old”), Sanskrit सन (sána) and Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌽𐌴𐌹𐌲𐍃 (sineigs).
- declension-3, feminine, masculineold man, older man (typically age 40 or older; older than a iuvenis)
“[…] magno opere contemno, conlectum ex senibus desperatis, ex agresti luxuria, ex rusticis decoctoribus, ex eis qui vadimonia deserere quam illum exercitum maluerunt;” — […] I thoroughly despise that army composed of desperate old men, of clownish profligates, and uneducated spendthrifts; of those who have preferred to desert their bail rather than that army
“et erit post haec effundam spiritum meum super omnem carnem et prophetabunt filii vestri et filiae vestrae senes vestri somnia somniabunt et iuvenes vestri visiones videbunt” — And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
- declension-3, feminine, masculineold person, older person
- declension-3, feminine, masculine, uncommonas feminine old woman, older woman
“At quae fida fuit nulli, post victa senecta
ducit inops tremula stamina torta manu
firmaque conductis adnectit licia telis
tractaque de niveo vellere ducta putat.
Hanc animo gaudente vident iuvenumque” — (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- declension-3, one-termination, usuallyold, aged, elderly
“Heli autem erat senex valde et audivit omnia quae faciebant filii sui universo Israheli” — Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel;
Formssenis(genitive) · senex(nominative, singular) · senēs(nominative, plural) · senis(genitive, singular) · senum(genitive, plural) · senī(dative, singular) · senibus(dative, plural) · senem(accusative, singular) · senēs(accusative, plural) · sene(ablative, singular) · senibus(ablative, plural) · senex(singular, vocative) · senēs(plural, vocative) · senior(comparative) · senex(feminine, masculine, nominative, singular) · senēs(feminine, masculine, nominative) · senis(feminine, genitive, masculine, singular) · senum(feminine, genitive, masculine) · senī(dative, feminine, masculine, singular) · senibus(dative, feminine, masculine)