participatae

Participatae is a term used in classical Latin grammar to denote the feminine plural form of the perfect passive participle. It describes a participial adjective that agrees in gender, number, and case with a feminine plural noun. The form arises from the standard Latin participle pattern, with the masculine form participatus, the feminine singular participata, and the feminine plural participatae in the nominative and accusative cases. In the neuter, the corresponding plural is participata.

Etymology and formation: the participial stem is derived from the verb stem plus the suffix -atus, a common ending for Latin perfect passive participles. The feminine plural ending -ae corresponds to the standard feminine plural in the nominative and accusative for adjectives of this class, yielding participatae as a morphologically regular form.

Grammatical usage: participatae function as adjectives derived from verbs of participation and agree with feminine plural nouns. They are used to describe subjects that have undergone a participial action. In classical texts, they may appear in phrases such as res participatae, “the things that have participated,” where the participial adjective modifies a feminine plural or a syntactically feminine plural noun.

Modern relevance: in contemporary Latin grammars and philological studies, participatae are cited as an example of gender and number agreement in participial construction. They are primarily of interest to students of Latin morphology and to scholars reviewing Latin verb forms and their adjectival derivatives.

See also: participle, perfect passive participle, Latin grammar, Latin morphology.

Notes: participatae is a morphological form rather than an independent lexical item; its interpretation depends on the surrounding noun it modifies.