Breakdown of Aqua per fundamentum manat.
aqua
the water
per
through
fundamentum
the foundation
manare
to seep; ooze
Questions & Answers about Aqua per fundamentum manat.
Why is aqua in that form?
Aqua is nominative singular, which is the form normally used for the subject of the sentence.
So in Aqua per fundamentum manat, aqua is the thing doing the action of manat (flows).
A quick breakdown:
- aqua = water
- nominative singular
- first declension, feminine
Why is fundamentum not fundamento?
Because per takes the accusative case.
So:
- per fundamentum = through the foundation or through the base
- fundamentum is accusative singular
If you used fundamento, that would be ablative/dative singular, and it would not fit with per.
What case does per take?
Per takes the accusative.
This is a very common Latin preposition rule:
- per + accusative = through, by way of, sometimes along
So here:
- per fundamentum = through the foundation