A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Rodent: rodens,-entis (s.c.III), abl. sg. rodente, nom. & acc. pl. rodentes, gen. pl. rodentium, dat. & abl. pl. rodentibus [> L. rodens,-entis (part.B), > L. rodere, to gnaw, gnawing, biting, corroding], on analogy with serpens,-entis (s.c.III), or ‘serpent,’ q.v.; see animal; bestia,-ae (s.f.I).

NOTE: the abl.sg. ends in an -e (= a substantive) not an -i (= a participle);

- bestia,-ae (s.f.I) rodens, gen.sg. bestiae rodentis, abl. sg. bestia rodente, nom. pl. bestiae rodentes, gen. pl. bestiarum rodentium, dat. & abl. pl. bestiis rodentibus [> L. rodens,-entis (part.B), pres. part. rodere, to gnaw, gnawing, biting, corroding].

- floribus rodentibus pollinatis, with flowers pollinated by rodents (bestiis rodentibus).

- Oxygen-dependent enteric [i.e. intestinal] pathogens: Escherichia coli in humans; Citrobacter rodentium in mice [‘rodentium’ = gen. pl. rodens,-entis (s.c.III)].

NOTE: on analogy with serpens,-entis (s.m/f.III), the noun ‘serpent,’ q.v. being a participle modifying the noun ‘bestia,-ae (s.f.I),’ or ‘beast,’ i.e. the ‘creeping’ or ‘crawling’ beast, a noun could be envisioned as ‘rodens,-entis (s.m/f.III)’ or ‘rodent,’ being a participle modifying the noun ‘bestia,-ae (s.f.I), i.e. the ‘gnawing’ beast.

NOTE: if rodens were to modify bestia,-ae (s.f.I), then the acc. sg. would be rodentem, the nom. & acc. pl. rodentes.

NOTE: in taxonomic groups, (participial) adjectives such as serpens and rodens modify animal,-alis (s.n.III), a neuter noun, not bestia,-ae (s.f.I), a feminine noun. Hence ‘snakes’ or serpents, taxonomically are Order Serpentia, with the epithet in the plural, that is nom. pl. [animalia] serpentia, gen. pl. [animalium] serpentium, acc. pl. [animalia] serpentia. Order Rodentia would be nom. pl. [animalia] rodentia, gen.pl. [animalium] rodentium. The same is true of orders such as Carnivora, neuter nom. pl., gen. pl. Carnivororum, an order of eutherian mammals, with teeth and other organs adapted to suit their carnivorous habit. Carnivora is a neuter plural adjective modifying animal,-is (s.n.III), not bestia,-ae (s.f.I). A carnivore, as a substantive noun, on analogy with serpent (serpens,-entis, q.v.), would be [animal] carnivorum (adj.A), in the nom.pl. [animalia] carnivora, gen. pl. [animalium] carnivororum; a herbivore would be animalia herbivora in the nom. pl.; see -vorus,-a,-um (adj.A); see Order; see Regnum.

Order Rodentia, the epithet is in the nom. pl. (nom. sg. rodens), the epithet a participle modifying the noun ‘animal,-alis (s.n.III), nom.pl. animalia. The Rodentia are animals characterized by a single pair of indeterminately (continualy) growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. Animals include beavers, chipmunks, mice, porcupines, prairie dogs, rats, squirrels.

NOTE: if rodens,-entis (s.c.III) were to modify the noun animal,-alis (s.n.III), the acc. sg. would be rodens, the nom. & acc. pl. would be rodentia.