Talk:quattuor

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Latest comment: 9 years ago by Erutuon in topic Disyllabic or trisyllabic
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what are the 2 spellings?

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Please comment on the 2 spellings present in Wiktionary: quattor and quattuor.--Imz 15:04, 7 March 2009 (UTC)Reply

The spelling (deprecated template usage) quattor is a rare alternative spelling in Latin. --EncycloPetey 19:35, 7 March 2009 (UTC)Reply

Disyllabic or trisyllabic

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I thought quattuor was disyllabic for some reason. Here are lines from the Aeneid in which it occurs, from a complete search of Gutenberg text file.

  • Quattuor | hic, pri|mum omen, e|quos in | gramine | vidi
  • quattuor | ex om|ni de|lectae | classe ca|rinae.
  • uec tan|tis mora | prodigi|is. En | quattuor | arae
  • quattuor | amis|sis, ser|vat(ae) a | peste ca|rinae.
  • quattuor | hic pri|mum nig|rantis | terga iu|vencos
  • Quattuor | hic in|vectus e|quis et | lampada | quassans
  • quattuor | in medi|o diri|mit plaga | solis i|niqui.
  • quattuor | a stabu|lis prae|stanti | corpore | tauros
  • quattuor | hic iuve|nes, toti|dem, quos | educat | Ufens,

It looks like I was wrong, since it always occurs before a vowel (or before h, which metrically doesn't count as a consonant), and hence can only be scanned heavy–light if the u is a consonant or heavy–light–light if the u is a vowel. Since quattuor always counts as a single foot, it has to be heavy–light–light, a dactyl, not heavy–light, a trochee, in every case. Not sure how I got the idea it was disyllabic... Eru·tuon 00:51, 2 March 2015 (UTC)Reply