FOREIGN PLURALS

Nouns that have not been thoroughly naturalized retain their original plurals. The tendency to employ the foreign plural
is still strong in the technical language of science, but elsewhere in the literary language there is an evident inclination to give to certain words the regular English plural form in -s — a tendency that should be encouraged.
Foreign words that are the names of favorite flowers and shrubs and common things in general and are thus known to wide circles have become naturalized or are manifesting a tendency to become so in spite of their foreign form: crocus, crocuses; nasturtium, nasturtiums; fuchsia, fuchsias; libretto, librettos or libretti; soprano, sopranos or soprani.

The tendency to naturalize names of common things is found even in scientific language, though in much less degree.

There are different groups:

1. Latin words in -a with a plural in -ae (pronounced as e in react): alga, algae; alumna, alumnae; ameba, amebae or amebas; antenna, antennae; camera, cameras (photographic apparatus), camerae ('chambers,' term used in anatomy); cesura, cesuras or cesurae; cicada, cicadas or cicadae; corona, coronae or coronas; curia, curiae; differentia, differentiae; drachma, drachmas or drachmae; fauna, faunas or faunae; fibula, fibulaeorfibulas; flora, floras orflorae; formula, formulas or formulae; gemma, gemmae; lacuna, lacunae; lamella, lamellae; lamia, lamiae or lamias; lamina, laminae; larva, larvae; ligula, ligulae or ligulas; macula, maculae; mammilla,  mammillae; mamma, mammae; maxilla, maxillae;
minutia, minutiae; nebula, nebulae; papilla, papillae; papula, papulae; pelta, peltae; pinna, pinnae;  pleura, pleurae; plica,
plicae; pupa, pupae; quadriga, quadrigae; retina, retinas or retinae; scintilla, scintillae; scoria, scoriae; stria, striae; struma, str
taenia, taeniae; tessera, tesserae; tibia, tibiae; trachea, trachulna, ulnae; umbra, umbrae; ungula, ungulae; vagina, vaginae;
verruca, verrucae; vertebra, vertebrae; vesica, vesicae; vitta, vit etc.

Many nouns in -a from the Latin have become naturalized and now have the regular plural in -s, and of course there are from other languages m a n y nouns in -a that have become naturalized, so that there are a large number of nouns in -a that have the regular plural in -s: acacia, area, arena, camellia, cedilla, chimera, cinema, cornucopia, corolla, cupola, dahlia, encyclopedia, era, fistul, fuchsia, hyena, idea, lama, llama, panacea, peninsula, propaganda, quota, replica, sofa, sonata, subpoena, ultima, umbrella, uvula, veronica (shrub), villa, vista, wisteria, etc.


2. Latin words in -us with a plural in -i (pronounced as i in mine): abacus, abacuses or abaci; acanthus, acanthuses or acanthi; alumnus, alumni; alveolus, alveoli; bacillus, bacilli; bronchus, bron chi; cactus, cacti (in science) or cactuses (in general use); calculus, calculi; cirrus, cirri; colossus, colossi or colossuses; cothurnus, cothurni; cumulus, cumuli; discobolus, discoboli; esophagus, esoph-agi or esophaguses; eucalyptus, eucalypti (in science), eucalyptus or eucalyptuses (in general use); famulus, famuli; focus, focuses or foci; fucus, fuel; fungus, fungi or funguses; gladiolus (gladiolus, gladio-lus, or, in England, often gladiolus), gladioluses, gladiolus, gladioli or gladioluses; hippocampus, hippocampi; hippopotamus, hippopotamuses or hippopotami; humerus, humeri; iambus, iambuses or
iambi; ichthyosaurus, ichthyosauri; literatus  (now little used),
literati (more common than the singular); loculus, locull; locus, loci; magus, magi;  modulus, moduli;  narcissus, narcissus(es) or narcissi;
nautilus, nautiluses or nautili; nidus, niduses or nidi;
nimbus, nimbuses or nimbi; nodus, nodi; nucleus, nuclei or nucleuses; obelus, obeli; ocellus, ocelli; papyrus, papyri; plesiosauru plesiosaurl; polypus, polypi or polypuses; radius, radii; ranuncu-lus, ranunculuses or ranunculi; scyphus, scyphl; senarius, senaril; stimulus, stimuli; stratus, strati; syllabus, syllabi or syllabuses; talus (anklebone), tali, but talus (slope), taluses; tarsus, tarsi; termi nus, termini; thalamus, thalaml; thesaurus, thesauri; torus, tori; tumulus, tumuli; umbilicus, umbilici; uterus, uteri; villus, villi; vitellus, vitelll; etc.

But some nouns from the Latin have a plural in -us, -ora, or -era, as in Latin: apparatus, apparatus or, especially in England, apparatuses; corpus, corpora; genus, genera; hiatus, hiatuses or hiatus; ictus, ictuses or ictus; lusus, lusus; meatus, meatus or meatuses; nexus, nexus or nexuses; opus, opera; plexus, plexus
or plexuses; rictus, rictuses or rictus; saltus, saltus; sinus, sinuses or sinus; viscus, viscera; etc.

Some nouns in -us from Latin and other languages have become naturalized and n o w take the regular -es in the plural: bolus, bonus, callus, campus, caucus, census, chorus, circus, Columbus, conspectus, convolvulus, crocus, fetus, excursus, hibiscus, ignoramus,
impetus, incubus, isthmus, lotus, mandamus, minus,  mittimus,
octopus, omnibus, platypus, plus, prospectus, rebus, rhombus,
vidimus, virus, etc.  Ignoramus  (i.e. we do not know), mandamus (i.e. we command), mittimus (i.e. we send), vidimus (i.e. we have seen), are Latin verbs used as nouns.  Omnibus is a Latin dative plural = for all.

Rebus is the Latin ablative plural of res 'thing.'
These six words never take -i in the plural. Rumpus is an English word and, of course, takes -es in the plural.


3. Latin words in -um with a plural in -a: addendum, ad-denda; agendum, agenda; animalculum, animalcula, sometimes animalcula (plural construed as singular), animalculae (new plural), but now in the singular usually animalcule, which has a regu-lar plural; antrum, antra or antrums; aquarium, aquariums or aquaria; arboretum, arboreta or arboretums; arcanum, arcana; audi-torium, auditoriums or auditoria; bacterium, bacteria; candelabrum, candelabra or candelabrums; cerebellum, cerebella or cerebellums; cerebrum, cerebra or cerebrums; cilium, cilia; compendium, com-pendiums or compendia; corrigendum, corrigenda; cranium, crania or craniums (jocular use for heads); curriculum, curricula or curriculums; datum, data; desideratum, desiderata; dictum, dicta; effluvium, effluvia; emporium, emporiums or emporia; epithala-mium, epithalamiums or epithalamia; erratum, errata; exordium, exordiums or exordia; frenum, frena or frenums; frustum, frustums or frusta; fulcrum, fulcrums or fulcra; gymnasium, gymnasiums
or gymnasia; gymnasium  (German classical school), gymnasia or
in German form gymnasien; honorarium, honoraria or honorariums;
interregnum, interregna or interregnums; labium, labia; lustrum,
lustrums or lustra; mausoleum, mausoleums or mausolea; maximum,
maxima or maximums; medium, mediums (of things and persons, always so of persons) or media (of things); memorandum, memoranda or memorandums; menstruum, menstrua or menstruums; millennium, millenniums or millennia; minimum, minima or mini-
mums; momentum, momenta; moratorium, moratoria or moratoriums; operculum, opercula; opusculum, opuscula; ovum, ova;
palladium, palladia; phylum, phyla; planetarium, planetaria or planetariums; plectrum, plectra; podium, podia; propylaeum, propylaea; proscenium, proscenia; pudendum, pudenda  (usually employed in the plural, but the singular is sometimes used  with the same meaning); residuum, residua; rostrum, rostra (ships'
beaks) or rostrums (pulpits, platforms, in these meanings sometimes also rostra); sacrarium, sacraria; sanatorium, sanatoriums or sanatoria; scholium, scholia; scrinium, scrinia; scriptorium,
scriptoria; scutum, scuta; septum, septa; simulacrum, simulacra;
solarium, solaria; solatium, solatia; spectrum, spectra or spectrums speculum, specula; sputum, sputa; stadium, stadia; sternum, sterna or sternums; stratum, strata; substratum, substrata; sudatorium, sudatoria; symposium, symposia; tintinnabulum, tintinnabula; tra-pezium, trapeziums or trapezia; triclinium, triclinia; triforium, tr foria; tripudium, tripudia; triquetrum, triqy&txa; tympanum, tympana; ultimatum, ultimata or ultimatums; vacuum, vacuums or vacua;  vasculum, vascula; velamentum,  velamenta; velum, vela;
vexillum, vexilla; vibraculum, vibracula; vinculum, vincula;  vivarium, vivariums or vivaria; etc.

A number of scientific terms occur only in the plural: carnivora, herbivora, infusoria, mammalia, etc.

Some nouns in -um, whether of Latin or other origin, usually take -s in the plural: album, antirrhinum, asylum, chrysanthemum, decorum, delphinium, Elysium, encomium,  factotum, forum, gera-
nium, hoodlum, lyceum, museum, nasturtium, nostrum, pandemonium,
pendulum,  petroleum, premium, quorum, referendum, serum, Targum, vellum, viburnum,  etc.

Quorum (i.e. of whom) is a Latin genitive plural and hence cannot take -a in the plural.

The Latin neuter stamen had the plural stamina.
In English, stamen has a regular plural, stamens. The old Latin plural stamina has become in English a singular, an abstract noun without a plural.

4. Words in -ex, -ix, -yx, -trix, -is, -sis, with a plural in -es. The plural -es is not added to the singular, but to an altered or shortened form of it, or, on the other hand, -es is often after English fashion added to the regular singular form: apex, apexes or apices; codex, codices; cortex, cortices; index, indexes or indices; murex, murices or murexes; vertex, vertices or vertexes; vortex, vortices or vortexes; appendix, appendixes or appendices; helix, helices or helixes; radix, radices or radixes; calyx, calyxes calyces; administratrix, administratrices; cicatrix, cicatrices; exe utrix, executrices or executrixes; heritrix, heritrices or heritr inheritrix, inheritrices or inheritrixes; matrix, matrices or matrixes mediatrix, mediatrices or mediatrixes; prosecutrix, prosecutrices or prosecutrixes; testatrix, testatrices or testatrixes; amanuensis amanuenses; analysis, analyses; apodosis, apodoses; arsis, arses; axis, axes; basis, bases; chrysalis, chrysalises or chrysalides; crisi crises; diagnosis, diagnoses; dieresis, diereses; ellipsis, ellipses emphasis, emphases; hypothesis, hypotheses; metamorphosis, meta-morphoses; matathesis, matatheses; metempsychosis, metempsychoses; narcosis, narcoses; neurosis, neuroses; oasis, oases; pardbasis, para-bases; parenthesis, parentheses; periphrasis, periphrases; proboscis proboscises or proboscides, but not probosces; prognosis, prognoses; protasis, protases; psychosis, psychoses; sclerosis, scleroses; sylle syllepses; synopsis synopses; synthesis, syntheses; thesis, theses, et There are other words with the plural in -es: paries, paftetes; vibrio, vibriones.

Iris, metropolis, usually have English plurals, irises, metrop-olises, but the former sometimes has the foreign plural Irides. Calliopsis, coreopsis, clematis, and often iris remain unchanged in the plural.

5. Greek words in -on with a plural in -a: anacoluthon, ana-coluthons or anacolutha; asyndeton, asyndeta or asyndetons; autom-aton, automatons or automata; criterion, criteria; ganglion, ganglia or ganglions; hyperbaton, hyperbata or hyperbatons;
noumenon, noumena; organon, organa or organons; oxymoron, oxymorons or oxymora; perispomenon, perispomena; phenomenon, phenomena; prolegomenon, prolegomena (usually in plural); etc.
Instead of ephemeron (pi. ephemera or ephemerons) we may use
ephemera (pi. ephemeras).

There are a number of naturalized nouns in -on — from this Greek declension and from others, also from other languages —
so that there are now many nouns in -on that have the regular plural in -s: anion, archon, canon, cation, colon, semicolon, cotyledon, demon,  electron, lexicon, mastodon, pylon, rhododendron, siphon, skeleton, tenon, etc.

6. Greek words in -roa with a plural in -mata: anathema, anathemas or anathemala; diploma, diplomas or sometimes in the rarer meanings diplomata; dogma, dogmas or now rarely dogmata; fibroma, fibromata; gumma, gummata or gummas; miasma, miasmata or miasmas; neuroma, neuromata; sarcoma, sarcomata or sarcomas; scleroma, scleromata; stemma, stemmata; stigma, stigmas or, in ecclesiastical and scientific senses, stigmata; stroma, stromata; zeugma, zeugmas or zeugmata; etc.

Dilemma and panorama have the regular plural in -s: dilemmas, panoramas.

7. Species, series, superficies, abatis, have the same form for singular and plural.
Chamois, corps, patois, rendezvous, and Dumas (name) have the same spelling for singular and plural, but in the spoken language the finals is silent in the singular and spoken in the plural. Forceps is either a singular or a plural: 'this or these forceps,' 'a pair of forceps.'

Cyclops has a variant form Cyclop. Cyclops has the plural Cyclopses or Cyclopes. Cyclop has the plural Cyclops.
Sioux has the same form for singular and plural, thefinalx silent in the singular and in the plural either silent or pronounced

Thus it is treated either as a noun made from an adjective or as a pure noun. Iroquois has the same form for singular and plural, always with silent final s, both in the singular and the plural. Thus it is treated as a noun made from an adjective.

Larynx and meninx have the plurals lary'nges and meninges. The plural of phalanx is phalanges in anatomy and botany, else-where phalanxes.
The singular of phalanges is also phalange.

8. Italian words with the plural in -i (pronounced as e in react):
bandit, bandits or banditti; carbonaro, carbonari; cicerone, ciceron
or cicerones; conversazione, conversaziones or conversazioni;  dile
tante, dilettanti or dilettantes; Facista, Facisti or in English for
Fascist, pi. Fascists, as adjective always Fascist, as in 'Fascist doctrine'; graffito, graffiti; intermezzo, intermezzos or intermezz; lazzarone, lazzaroni; libretto, librettos or libretti; niello, nie, niellos; sbirro,  sbirri; soprano, sopranos or soprani; virtuoso, virtuosi or virtuosos. The plural of the compound prima donna is
prima donnas or prime donne.

9. French: Madame, monsieur have  the plurals  mesddmes, messieurs.

The following nouns — accented in the case of words of more than one syllable upon the last syllable except in bureau, flambeau, tableau (tableau or tableau), portmanteau, and rondeau (rondeau or rondeau) — take in the plural -s or -x, which is pronounced as s in rose: adieu, adieus or adieux; beau, beaus or beaux; bureau, bureaus or bureaux; chateau, chateaux or chateaus; flambeau, flambeaux or flambeaus; plateau, plateaus or plateaux; portmanteau, portmanteaus or portmanteaux; rondeau, rondeaus or rondeaux; rouleau, rouleaux or rouleaus; tableau, tableaux or tableaus; trous-seau, trousseaux or trousseaus. Purlieu always has the plural purlieus.

The contracted form Messrs. (mesrz) is used as the plural of Mr.

In direct address the plural of Madam is Ladies.

Chassis has the same spelling for singular and plural, but it is usually pronounced shase in the singular and shdsez in the plural. It is sometimes pronounced chasis in both singular and plural. In England the usual pronunciation is shdse for singular and plural.

10. Hebrew: cherub, cherubim or cherubs (in the sense of 'dar-lings' always cherubs; in older English with the singular cherubin or cherubim and the plural cherubins or cherubims); seraph, seraphim or seraphs; sephardi, sephardim.
Teraphim is used as a collective plural = 'the household gods.' This form is sometimes used as a singular with the plural teraphims. The singular is some-times teraph with the plural teraphs. The plural of rabbi is rabbis.

11. Latin:  triumvir, triumvirs or triumviri; naiad  (ni&d or
nayad), naiads or naiades.

12. Japanese: The Japanese coin yen has the same form for the singular and the plural.

13. Arabic: fellah, fellaheen or fellahs. The usual plural of

Moslem  is Moslems, but the Arabic form Moslemin is sometimes employed.
Some use Moslem  also as a plural in a collective sense:
'All Moslem (more commonly Moslems)  are bound to study it'
(i.e. the Koran) (Carlyle, Heroes and Hero -Worship, II, 104).