Breakdown of Uterque discipulus codicem suum legit.
legere
to read
discipulus
the student
codex
the book
suus
his own
Questions & Answers about Uterque discipulus codicem suum legit.
What does uterque mean exactly?
Uterque means each of the two or, in smoother English, sometimes both.
A very important point: it is used for two, not for three or more. So uterque discipulus means each student of the two students.
That is why this word often feels half-way between English each and both:
- each because it treats them one by one
- both because the total number involved is two
Why is discipulus singular, not plural?
Because uterque is distributive: it looks at the two students individually.
So Latin says, in effect, each student reads his own book, not the students read.
That is why you get:
- uterque discipulus = each student not
- utrique discipuli here
Even though two students are meant in real life, the grammar is singular because the sentence treats them one at a time.
Why is the verb legit singular if two students are involved?