What is the plural of....
By
Azure Lightstar,
Posted on: 2010-11-10 01:26 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
Quote:
Yes.|
Originally Posted by FredrikSvanberg
Ouroboroses.
|
Or, use the Greek pluralization, since it's a Greek word:
Ouroboroi.
Speeding Through New DA Repeatables || Spreadsheet o' Enhancements || Zombie Skins: better skins for these forums || Guide to Guides
I want an Ouroboros for Christmas
Only an Ouroboros will do
Don't want a (red) ball, no dinky invention
I want an Ouroboros to time travel around
I want an Ouroboros for Christmas
I don't think Santa Claus will mind, do you?
He won't have to use our dirty chimney flue
Just bring him through the base 'porter, that's the easy thing to do
I can see me now on Christmas morning, entering my base
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes
To see an Ouro hero standing there
I want an Ouroboros for Christmas
Only an Ouroboros will do
No Midnighter Club, no Arachnos portals
I only use Ouoroboroses
And Ourobororoses use me too!
Mom says the Ouro would consume me, but then
Montague says an Ouro is a vegeterian! 
There's lots of room for it in our hidden hangar bay
I'd use it there and watch it there then give Silos a massage!
I can see me now on Christmas morning, entering my base
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes
To see an Ouro hero standing there
I want an Ouroboros for Christmas
Only an Ouroboros will do
No Midnighter Club or Arachnos portals
I only use Ouroboroseses
And Ouroboroseses use me too~!
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/36641/My-Little-Exalt
Fleet, can I book you for my next birthday party?
The Alt Alphabet ~ OPC: Other People's Characters ~ Terrific Screenshots of Cool ~ Superhero Fiction
Quote:
The change is from "-us" to "-i". Since "Ouroboros" doesn't have an "-us", that change isn't applicable.|
Originally Posted by Zombie Man
Yes.
Or, use the Greek pluralization, since it's a Greek word: Ouroboroi. |
Other special rules, such as "Cyclops" to "Cyclopes" and "Nemesis" to "Nemeses" also don't apply, because it doesn't fit those patterns either.
I also say that is would be "Ouroboroses".
@Roderick
The Going Rogue site uses the plural in the new incarnate info.
"Always. We can recruit allies within these parallel worlds, and perhaps bolster our own numbers with alternate versions of super-powered beings, or even alternate Ouroboroses."
Virtue
--Blazing Tiger-- 50 Invulrn/Fire Tank
<<Virtues Tankiest Kitty>>
Try my Arcs: #4892 and #112548
@Blazing Tiger and @Aqua Fox
Ouroboro follows the same rule as Goose.
So plural of Ouroboro is Eurebere.
Just change your O's to E's
Ouroboroses are red, Ramiels are blue,
Sometime next year, there's a Storm coming for you.
... It's late. I got nuffin'.
I say it's like fish and sheep and we get several Ouroboros.
Quote:
The problem with that is that the '-us' to '-i' rule is for Latin-derived words; 'Ouroboros' is Greek. You run into the same problem with 'octopus'; 'octopi' is a Latin plural, while the word itself is of Greek derivation, and its plural is properly 'octopodes'. 'Ouroboros' is a masculine singular, so its plural would be 'Ouroboroi'.
|
Originally Posted by Roderick
The change is from "-us" to "-i". Since "Ouroboros" doesn't have an "-us", that change isn't applicable.
|
"But in our enthusiasm, we could not resist a radical overhaul of the system, in which all of its major weaknesses have been exposed, analyzed, and replaced with new weaknesses."
-- Bruce Leverett, Register Allocation in Optimizing Compilers
Quote:
-us is a Latin ending with the plural -i.|
Originally Posted by Roderick
The change is from "-us" to "-i". Since "Ouroboros" doesn't have an "-us", that change isn't applicable.
Other special rules, such as "Cyclops" to "Cyclopes" and "Nemesis" to "Nemeses" also don't apply, because it doesn't fit those patterns either. I also say that is would be "Ouroboroses". |
-os is a Greek ending with the plural -oi.
@True Metal
Co-leader of Callous Crew SG. Based on Union server.
I believe that both Ouroboroi and Ouroboroses are acceptable.
As others have stated above, some people will use Ouroboroi because of its Greek origins. But I have seen Ouroboroses used as well, because of how we tend to Anglicizing words. Octopus is a good example this. It is acceptable to use octopuses (Anglicized), octopodes (from the original Greek) and octopi (from the Latinization).
I would lean toward Ouroboroses though, because I personally don't think the Greeks needed to pluralize their concept of Ouroboros. But when we make Ouroboros a physical place, we now run the chance of having multiple instances of Ouroboros. So applying our rules for make a proper noun a plural seems appropriate here, like when we make Memphis, Memphises.
To me, languages is about communicating what you mean. So if you can still communicate clearly that you are referring to more than one Ouroboros, it really shouldn't matter if it is Ouroboroi and Ouroboroses.
Gardens.
Listers.
Ouroboduckies.
The Widow's Dark Hand - leader of Faux Pas
Champion Server
Tee Hee!
Like Oxen and Boxen, it would would be Oroboroxen, obviously.
-= idspispopd =-
[size=1]Arc ID: 3155 - Project Prometheus (Seeking Feedback, now with less invalidation)[/size]
Ouroboros:
Oroboi?
Oroborodes?
Thelonious Monk