Breakdown of Finitor unum cardinem dirigere non potest, nedum totam limitationem perficiat.
non
not
posse
to be able
totus
whole
unus
one
Questions & Answers about Finitor unum cardinem dirigere non potest, nedum totam limitationem perficiat.
What does finitor mean here, and what case is it?
Finitor is a nominative singular noun, so it is the subject of the sentence.
In technical Latin, especially in land-surveying contexts, finitor can mean something like surveyor, boundary-setter, or one who marks out boundaries.
So grammatically:
- finitor = the surveyor / boundary-marker
- case: nominative singular
- function: subject of non potest
Why is unum used instead of unus?
Because unum agrees with cardinem, which is masculine accusative singular.
The adjective unus, -a, -um must match the noun it describes in gender, number, and case:
- masculine nominative singular: unus
- masculine accusative singular: unum
Since cardinem is the direct object of dirigere, it is in the accusative, and the adjective must also be accusative:
- unum cardinem = one cardo / one axis / one hinge
What case is cardinem, and why?