eius

Eius is the genitive singular form of the Latin third-person demonstrative pronoun is, ea, id (this, that). It functions as a possessive pronoun meaning “of him,” “of her,” or “of it,” and is used to indicate possession by a third-person referent. In practice, eius is attached to a noun to form phrases such as liber eius “his book,” domus eius “his house,” or res eius “his/its matter.” The form is gender-agnostic in the genitive singular, applying to masculine, feminine, and neuter antecedents.

Usage and distinction: eius is used when the possessor is not the speaker or listener. It often appears with a noun in the genitive to express possession without naming the possessor again. In contrast, possessive adjectives like meus, tuus, suus indicate possession by the speaker, the addressee, or a reflexive subject, respectively. Eius does not have separate masculine, feminine, or neuter forms in the genitive singular.

Plural and related forms: For multiple possessors, Latin uses eorum (masculine or neuter) and earum (feminine) in the genitive plural. Eius remains singular and bears no plural form.

Etymology and context: Eius derives from the demonstrative is, ea, id and is common in Classical Latin as a compact way to convey “of him/her/it.” It is often preferred when the possessive is clearly third person and the possessor is already established in context.