Breakdown of Imbrex super tignum iacet.
iacere
to lie
super
over
imbrex
the curved roof tile
tignum
the timber; roof beam
Questions & Answers about Imbrex super tignum iacet.
How do I know imbrex is the subject of the sentence?
Because imbrex is in the nominative singular, the case normally used for the subject, and iacet is third person singular, so it matches a single subject.
Also, tignum cannot be the subject here, because it comes after the preposition super and is in the accusative form.
So the structure is:
- imbrex = subject
- super tignum = prepositional phrase
- iacet = verb
What does iacet tell me grammatically?
Iacet is:
- present tense
- active voice
- indicative mood
- third person singular
It comes from iaceo, iacere, meaning to lie, to be lying, or to lie stretched out.
So iacet means lies or is lying.
Is iacet the same verb as to throw in Latin?