Latin diminutive of "Brentus"

March 9, 2011 3:17 AM

What is the Latin diminutive of "Brentus"?

As a "Latinised" version of my name, my friends sometimes call me "Brentus". Every now and again a diminutive form is appropriate, but there is some disagreement among us whether the form should be "Brentulus" or "Brenculus". I never took Latin, and I tried to do some research here, but found it rather inscrutable.

Can anybody help?

posted by Brentusfirmus to Writing & Language (5 answers total)

It's 'Brentulus'.

I hope you're not asking metafilter to name your junk.
posted by mhoye at 3:48 AM on March 9, 2011 [6 favorites]

Mascilne names in -us are usually normal, everyday second-declension o-stem nouns, so your diminutive is "Brentulus."

(If it were fourth declension (Brentus, -us rather than Brentus, -i) then your diminutive would be "Brenticulus." But I can't think of any 4th declension names off the top of my head. Doesn't happen, maybe? Someone with access to a grammar can check.)
posted by philokalia at 3:49 AM on March 9, 2011

Mod note: most comments removed - this is not a limerick thread.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:31 AM on March 9, 2011

Brentula
posted by Blasdelb at 10:02 AM on March 9, 2011

> Brentula

No, that would be female. The first answer is correct.
posted by languagehat at 11:01 AM on March 9, 2011 [1 favorite]