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Rh LESSON XLIV IRREGULAR NOUNS OF THE THIRD DECLENSION • GENDER IN THE THIRD DECLENSION 246.

247. There are no rules for gender in the third declension that do not present numerous exceptions. The following rules, however, are of great service, and should be thoroughly mastered:


 * 1) Masculine are nouns in -or, -ōs, -er, -ĕs (gen. -itis).

a. arbor, tree, is feminine; and iter, march, is neuter.

2. Feminine are nouns in -ō, -is, -x, and I. -s preceded by a consonant or by any long vowel but ō.

a. Masculine are collis (hill), lapis, mēnsis (month), ōrdō, pēs, and nouns in -nis and -guis&mdash;as ignis, sanguis (blood)&mdash;and the four monosyllables

3. Neuters are nouns in -e, -al, -ar, -n, -ur, -ŭs, and caput.