Questions & Answers about Mendacium contemnendum est.
Mendacium is a neuter singular noun from mendacium, mendacii, meaning lie, falsehood, or sometimes deceit.
In form, mendacium could be either nominative singular or accusative singular, because neuter nouns of the second declension have the same form in those two cases.
Here it is understood as nominative singular, because it is the subject of the sentence:
- Mendacium contemnendum est = A lie must be despised / Falsehood is to be despised
So even though the form could also be accusative in another sentence, here the syntax shows that it is nominative.
Contemnendum is a gerundive: a verbal adjective built from the verb contemnere.
The verb is:
- contemno, contemnere, contempsi, contemptum = to despise, to scorn
The gerundive often carries the idea of necessity, fitness, or that which is to be done.
So contemnendum literally means something like:
- to-be-despised
- deserving to be despised
- needing to be despised
Because it is an adjective, it must agree with the noun it goes with.