-īna

Nominalization of the feminine form of -īnus (“of or pertaining to”). For the nouns naming locations, perhaps compare the feminine gender of taberna (“shop, store”). Nouns in -īna with abstract senses, such as medicīna f(“practice of medicine”), can be interpreted as adjectives in agreement with a noun ars f (“art”) that is omitted by ellipsis.

Suffix

-īna f (genitive -īnae); first declension

1. Used to form nouns describing places where a certain activity is carried out, or abstract nouns naming activities

   ‎opifex (“worker, craftsman, artisan”) + ‎-īna → ‎officīna (“workshop, workroom”)

   ‎coquus (“cook”) + ‎-īna → ‎coquīna (“kitchen; cookery”)

   ‎fodiō (“to dig”) + ‎-īna → ‎fodīna (“mine”)

   ‎medicus (“doctor, physician”) + ‎-īna → ‎medicīna (“medicine; cure; practice of medicine”)

2. Used to form nouns or names denoting female beings

   ‎gallus (“rooster, cock”) + ‎-īna → ‎gallīna (“hen”)

   ‎cloāca (“sewer”) + ‎-īna → ‎Cloācīna (“goddess of the Cloaca Maxima”)

Usage notes

Nouns in -īna often show syncope of an internal syllable preceding the suffix, as in doctor, doctrīna; figulus (“potter”), figlīna (“potter's workshop”); opifex (“craftsman, artisan, worker”), officīna (“workshop”); and discipulus, disciplīna. Some have alternative forms without syncope, sometimes attested specifically in the context of Old Latin, such as discipulīna and opificīna (found in Plautus). Many nouns in -īna are built on nouns that serve as the name of professions or occupations, including a number of formations in -trīna from agent nouns in -tor.

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	-īna	-īnae
Genitive	-īnae	-īnārum
Dative	-īnae	-īnīs
Accusative	-īnam	-īnās
Ablative	-īnā	-īnīs
Vocative	-īna	-īnae