Breakdown of Aqua e fistula stillat; aquarius eam claudit.
aqua
the water
claudere
to close
eam
it
e
out of / from
aquarius
the water carrier; water worker
fistula
the water pipe
stillare
to drip
Questions & Answers about Aqua e fistula stillat; aquarius eam claudit.
Why is fistula used after e? Shouldn't the ending change?
Yes: e/ex takes the ablative case. The ablative singular of a first-declension noun is -ā, so with macrons this would be fistulā. Many beginner texts leave macrons out, so it appears simply as fistula. The case has changed, but you cannot see it unless vowel length is marked.
Why is it e and not ex?
E and ex are two forms of the same preposition. Both mean out of or from, and both take the ablative. Very often e is used before a consonant and ex before a vowel or h, though Latin is not completely strict about this.
What form is stillat?
Stillat is 3rd person singular present active indicative of stillare, meaning to drip or to trickle. It is singular because its subject, aqua, is singular.
Why is aqua at the beginning of the sentence?
Latin word order is much freer than English word order. Aqua is the subject because it is in the nominative, not simply because it comes first. Putting it first gives it prominence.
What exactly does e fistula mean?
It means out of the pipe or from the pipe. The preposition e suggests movement from within something, so it fits well with water dripping out of a pipe or tube.
What does aquarius mean here?
It is a noun meaning something like water-man, water-carrier, or in this context a person who deals with the water system, such as a waterman or plumber. It is nominative singular and is the subject of claudit.
What is eam?
Eam is the feminine singular accusative form of the pronoun is, ea, id. Here it means it and serves as the direct object of claudit.
Why is it eam and not ea?
Because claudit needs a direct object in the accusative case. Ea would not be the right form here. Eam is the accusative feminine singular form, so it is the correct way to say her/it as the object.
What does eam refer to?
From the context, it refers to fistula. The worker closes the pipe or tap, not the water itself. The pronoun matches fistula in gender and number: both are feminine singular. Its case is accusative because it is the object of claudit.
Why does Latin use eam instead of repeating fistulam?
For the same reason English often uses it instead of repeating a noun: to avoid unnecessary repetition. Latin can repeat the noun, but a pronoun is very natural here.
Why is there no word for the or a?
Classical Latin does not have articles. So aqua can mean water, the water, or sometimes some water, depending on context. The same is true for fistula and many other nouns.
Why is there a semicolon between the two parts?
Because the sentence contains two closely connected independent clauses: Aqua e fistula stillat and aquarius eam claudit. Latin can link such clauses with punctuation alone, just as English can. An et could be added, but it is not necessary.
Could the words be arranged differently?
Yes. Latin allows a lot of flexibility in word order because endings show the grammatical roles. For example, Aquarius eam claudit; aqua e fistula stillat would still make sense. The main difference would be emphasis, not basic meaning.
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