Gerundive - Latin Gerundive

Latin Gerundive

The Latin gerundive is a non-finite verb form which serves as and is declined like an adjective (it may be called a future passive participle). It is used to indicate that someone or something (the referent of the noun it modifies) needs or deserves to be the object of an action. For details of its formation and usage, see Latin conjugation: Gerundive.

Some examples of uses of Latin gerundives are noted below.

• Cato the Elder, a Roman senator, frequently ended his speeches with the statement Ceterum censeo Carthaginem delendam esse ("I also think Carthage to be that must be destroyed", i.e. "Besides which, I think Carthage must be destroyed").
• A gerundive appears in the phrase quod erat demonstrandum ("which was to be demonstrated"), whose abbreviated form Q.E.D. is often used after the final conclusion of a proof.
• The name Amanda is the feminine gerundive of amare ("to love"), and thus means roughly " to be loved", "worthy of being loved", "worthy of love", or simply "lovable". Similarly with the name Miranda; mirari means "to admire", so the name means " to be admired", "worthy of admiration", or "admirable".
• A number of English words come directly from Latin gerundives; for example, addendum comes from the gerundive of addere ("to add"), referendum comes from the gerundive of referre ("to bring back"), and agenda comes from a plural of agendum, the gerundive of agere "to do". Additionally, some words come from Latin gerundives by an indirect route; propaganda, for example, comes from a New Latin phrase containing a feminine form of propagandum, the gerundive of propagare ("to propagate").