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Nouns which are masculine, although they end in e mute.

§ 252. Masculine Nouns ending in -be.

Le cube, le tube, le globe, le rhombe, are derived from Latin cubus, tubus, globus, rhombus, respectively (p. 124, note). Un verbe, un adverbe, un proverbe, from verbu, adverbium, proverbium.

a. -ice.

§ 253. Masculine Nouns ending in -ce.

Most substantives in -ice have their origin in Latin forms in -tricem imperatricem, impératrice. They are designations of women. (See § 229.)

The remaining words in -ice are mainly feminine from the Latin feminine -tia: la justice, justitia; la milice, militia, etc.

A large number, however, are masculine, from Latin neuters in -tium, -cium.

un auspice

auspicium

un préjudice

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un précipice

præjudicium præcipitium

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un service

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servitium supplicium sacrificium vitium

un indice

indicium

le solstice

solstitium

un interstice

interstitium

Un armistice is a modern word coined after same models,

arma: arms: -stitium.

B. Other masculines in -ce of the same origin are :

le commerce commercium le sacerdoce sacerdotium

le négoce

le divorce

negotium
divortium

le silence

silentium

Silence is the only word in -ence which is masculine. Apparently it was always feminine till the 16th century, when either gender was employed. Marot and Rabelais have la silence, but Amyot le silence. The etymology has prevailed over the French

ending.

y. Le calice and le pouce are from masculine Latin calicem, pollicem.

Compare la voix (vocem), la croix (crucem), la poix (picem), la noix (nucem), which are feminine both in Latin and French. 8. Le caprice is from Italian capriccio.

e. Is irregular-Un appendice, appendicem (feminine). It is often feminine in older writers: "De petites appendices." (PARÉ, 16th cent.)

§ 254. Masculine Nouns ending in -de:

1. le coude is from Latin

cubitus.*

le grade

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le synode

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le monde

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Le suicide was made after these models in the 18th cent.

3. le prélude is from préluder.

§ 255. Masculine Nouns ending in -ée.

a. The feminine words in ée (Lat., -ata) are very numerous.t B. The masculine words are rare :

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2. un hymenée from Latin masculine hymenaeus.
3. un camée from Italian

cameo.

§ 256. Masculine Nouns ending in -fe, phe.

Le golfe and le gouffre are doublets, both from Greek masculine, kóλπOя. They are employed indifferently in Old French. Le paragraphe and le parafe are doublets. They are from Greek feminine, παράγραφος †

Le télégraphe, un hiéroglyphe, have been coined on the same model.

a. -age.

§ 257. Masculine Nouns ending in -ge.

1. From late Latin adjectival forms in -aticus, -atica, -aticum, were formed in early French a large number of nouns in -age. Such words are all masculine.

2. This suffixe -age has, by analogy, been added to various French stems. Such words are also masculine, without exception. 3. The only nouns which seem to be exceptions, have a different origin. They are:

(a) une page pagina (b) une image imaginem

la rage

rabiem

une plage plaga

la cage

cavea

(c) la nage

nager (see & 2, below)

* See p. 124, note.

Most learned words from -ata end in -ade. They are all feminine.
Have followed apparent Latin gender.

B. Are mainly derived from Latin masculines or neuters: 1. Nouns in -ége; they are all masculine.

2. Nouns in -ige; they are all masculine. La tige (Latin tibia) is feminine. Even this word is found masculine in the 16th century, “Un tige rond, verd.” (RABELAIS.) The gender, according to older usage and to etymology, has been restored. It is feminine.

3. Nouns in -oge; they are all masculine, except la loge, from loger, which is feminine.

4. Nouns in -uge; they are all masculine.

y. Are variously derived :

1. le cierge is from Latin masculine, cereus.

2. le linge

le songe

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8. Are irregular :

1. le mensonge.

Le mensonge was feminine till the 15th century: "Une plus belle mensonge" (COMMINES); then either gender; now it is always masculine. No doubt it followed songe, with which it has nothing to do. 2. le change, one of those nouns which have been derived from the stem of a corresponding French verb. In the majority of such words the 'rule of the e mute' is maintained:

le cri (crier) la nage (nager)

The rule is broken in the following words. The reason is not always apparent. They are given again in their proper place:

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L'échange, from change, is masculine also. Till the 17th century it is sometimes feminine.

3. Le mélange is from mêler, with suffix -ange. Other words with this ending are feminine, according to French rule.

4. Losange is now usually masculine.

* Compare un somme (§ 235).

§ 258. Masculine nouns ending in -he. (phe, see § 256.) un panache is from Italian masculine pennacchio.

un mythe is from Greek masculine μῦθος.

un reproche and une approche seem to be verbal stems from reprocher and approcher. Reproche was formerly feminine.

un hémistiche, hemistichium. Compare un acrostiche and un stigmate.

§ 259. Masculine nouns ending in -ie (Latin ia).

The few masculine words with this ending arefrom Latin masculine genius

le génie

un incendie

le foie

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le parapluie see § 271.

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§ 260. Masculine Nouns ending in -le.

(a) From diminutives, mostly Latin, have been derived a number of French substantives ending in -le, which break the rule of 'e mute.' Some retain a diminutive force. In French, as in Latin, etc., the diminutive does not always possess a corresponding primitive. And when it does, the two meanings may not seem at first to correspond. But generally the connection is clear enough. Hence the Latin rule, that the diminutive follows the gender of the primitive, may be conveniently applied : 1. Are masculine in Latin and masculine in French :

un fasicule

fascis

un monticule

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montem pedem

pedem

codicem

liber

modus

un modèle

un mode

modellus (Low Lat.) modus

2. Are neuter in Latin and masculine in French :

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3. Are masculine in Italian and masculine in French : vermicelle

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* Du Latin ficatum, proprement jecur ficatum foie d'oie engraissée avec des figues, le mot qui était chez les Latins un terme de cuisine est devenu dans toutes les langues romanes le nom du foie et a fait disparaître complétement le mot propre jecur. On remarquera que le mot nouveau a, dans les langues romanes, l'accent sur la première syllable, tandis que le Latin l'a, sur la seconde ficatum, c'est qu'en effet il ne vient pas de ficātum (fica tum) mais de ficătum (ficatum).—LITTRÉ.

See p. 124, note.

See § 234.

corpusculum

granulum

opusculum

vermicello

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le pôle

le style

un asile

le crible

polus

domicilium

evangelium

un tabernacle

seculum scrupulum templum

(c) From various Latin masculines and neuters are derived :

le capitole le concile

un domicile

un évangile

stylus
asylum

cribrum

capitolium
concilium

un siècle

un scrupule

le temple

le zèle

zelus

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unguis (M.)

un rôle

rotula, rotulus

rota

un trouble

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* Possibly some of these had diminutive power in Latin.

Only the nouns in which we find the rule of e mute' contradicted have been given above, but it may not be useless to further illustrate the fact that the diminutives in -ule follow the gender of their primitives both in French and Latin, by giving some of the feminine nouns : la vessie, la vescicule, la peau, la pellicule, la forme, la formule, etc. Of course there are many other diminutive endings in French, but these do not concern us here for they offer no difficulties in gender. They all follow the rule of 'e mute,' whatever may be their primitive note, + La débâcle is regularly feminine from débâcler. See §. 41.

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