Virorum

Virorum is the genitive plural form of the Latin noun vir, meaning “man” or “adult male.” It is masculine and belongs to the second declension. The full paradigm for vir is: singular: nominative vir, genitive viri, dative viro, accusative virum, ablative viro; plural: nominative viri, genitive virorum, dative viris, accusative viros, ablative viris. Consequently, virorum translates to “of men” or “men’s” and is used to indicate possession, description, or association with men.

In usage, virorum appears in genitive constructions to express relationships such as ownership, characteristic, or source. Examples include phrases like gloria virorum (the glory of men), fortuna virorum (the fortune of men), and verba virorum (the words of men). The form is also found in various fixed expressions and in the titles or descriptions of historical or biographical works, where the genitive plural signals the association with men or mankind in general. When a preposition governs the case, de governs the ablative plural viris (the ablative form used with de for “about the men” or “of the men from …”). This illustrates how virorum functions within Latin syntax to convey relational meaning.

Etymologically, vir is a basic Indo-European root for “man,” yielding a family of related Latin terms and several English derivatives such as virile and virility. The genitive plural virorum remains a common form in classical texts and continues to appear in discussions of Latin grammar.

See also: Latin grammar, second declension, vir.