The first declension is a category of mostly feminine nouns in Latin and Ancient Greek with the defining feature of a long ā (either analysed as a part of the stem or case-ending). In Greek grammar, it is also called the alpha declension, since its forms have the letter α, at least in the plural.
In Latin and Greek grammar, the first declension is analyzed as a thematic declension. But its lack of a Proto-Indo-European thematic vowel (o or e) and of any nominative singular ending (ordinarily -s or -os) doesn't neatly place it within either of the Proto-Indo-European nominal categories, thematic and athematic. Therefore, it is assumed to be a newer formation: a suffix based on the neuter plural ending *-(e)h₂, forming a collective noun.
Famous quotes containing the word declension:
“And what if my descendants lose the flower
Through natural declension of the soul,
Through too much business with the passing hour,
Through too much play, or marriage with a fool?”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)