Plural of Prius

scrabulista

Consul

  • Consul

Location:
Tennessee
I just saw a commercial asking for the plural of Prius.

Here's the website:

http://www.toyota.com/upcoming-vehicles/prius-family/

The candidates are:

priuses, prium, prien, prii, prius.

I assume prien is the Germanic plural ending, as in "children" or "brethren."
prii is a wrongly assumed Latin plural.
I'm not sure where they get prium from. What language forms its plural with -um?
Maybe it's Hebrew cherubim, seraphim....that's a stretch though.
prius -- possibly influenced from 5th declension derivatives such as series....maybe if the plural seems awkward, just keep it the same, as in "deer."
priuses - this is the best of the alternatives I suppose.

We could suggest priora.
 

Iohannes Aurum

Technicus Auxiliarius

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Location:
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Toyota Proira sounds good, especially given the massive recalls the said automaker had to do, and it almost rhymes with Corolla.
 

scrabulista

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Location:
Tennessee
Bitmap PM'ed me and thought this topic was frivolous. Well, it is. Flame away, cut up, or offer a scholarly response.
 
B

Bitmap

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I actually like "Proira" ... it's just that I feel this strange desire to purchase a Japanese car all of a sudden.
 

Nikolaos

schmikolaos

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Location:
Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan
Disturbingly, a majority of voters are saying "prii".
 

Maulrus

New Member

Out of beginner's curiosity: why is "Prii" wrong? I understand why "Priora" makes sense, but why can't "Prii" as well?
 

Iohannes Aurum

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Location:
Torontum, Ontario, Canada
If the plural of filius is filii and the plural of radius is radii, then why is priora preferred over prii?
 

Nikolaos

schmikolaos

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Location:
Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan
Prius is a neuter comparative, third declension - it's declined like "tempus".
 

Maulrus

New Member

Nikolaos dixit:
Prius is a neuter comparative, third declension - it's declined like "tempus".
Yeah, I figured that as the origin of Priora. But why can't it be considered a second declension masculine?
 

Nikolaos

schmikolaos

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Location:
Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan
Coined as a new word? It's possible, but the fact is that they didn't coin a new word; they used an existing one. Otherwise, I think the English plural "priuses" would be better.
 

Maulrus

New Member

Nikolaos dixit:
Coined as a new word? It's possible, but the fact is that they didn't coin a new word; they used an existing one. Otherwise, I think the English plural "priuses" would be better.
Ohhh, I had no idea it was a real word, so I pretty much assumed we had freedom to decline it as we pleased. That makes sense, thanks!
 

Nikolaos

schmikolaos

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Location:
Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan
Ah, okay. Prius is actually the neuter form of prior.
 

Iohannes Aurum

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Location:
Torontum, Ontario, Canada
The official plural of Prius is Prii, thanks to a "broken" poll.
http://www.wheels.ca/article/asset/794023

Good thing that Romans did not have hybrid private motor vehicles. They are happy with equ[i-long:2772ewjs][/i-long:2772ewjs]. They do not want to argue over the plural of the name of a horseless vehicle manufactured by a company beyond the far eastern edge of the world.

Not many drivers know Latin well unfortunately. Priora however is not a popular choice, because of its connotations with the word "prior," meaning before (and it does not sound futuristic to marketers). I prefer Priora however.

Bonus Wishing Game Request:

I wish the plural of Prius is officially Priora, since it would sound well with Toyota (the pronunciation of Toyota Priora sounds good and memorable).
 

Imprecator

Civis Illustris

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Colchis
To be fair, we westerners would probably butcher Japanese plurals too :p
 

Iohannes Aurum

Technicus Auxiliarius

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Location:
Torontum, Ontario, Canada
So, simply adding plurals to Japanese words is butchering them.

Likewise, many East Asian languages are butchered by adding distinct plural forms from Indo-European languages.
 
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