Ager is a second declension masculine Latin noun meaning 'field' or 'land,' with genitive singular agri. It belongs to the -er group of second declension nouns whose stem drops the -e- in every form except the nominative singular.
Ager, agri (masculine) means 'field' or 'land,' usually farmland that's cultivated or worked. It's a go-to example in Elementary Latin because it shows off one of the trickier second declension patterns: the -er nouns.
Here's the thing to watch. The nominative singular is ager, but the genitive is agri, not 'ageri.' The base for every other form comes from the genitive, so you drop the -e- and build on the stem agr-. That gives you agri, agro, agrum, agro in the singular and agri, agrorum, agris, agros, agris in the plural. Some -er nouns keep the -e- (like puer, pueri), so the only reliable way to know is to learn the genitive form alongside the noun.
Ager sits in Unit 2, Topic 2.2 (Second declension), one of the foundational chapters of Latin grammar. Second declension nouns make up a massive chunk of the vocabulary you'll read, and the -er subgroup trips people up the most. Once you can decline ager correctly, you can handle deus, dominus, puer, and verbum without second-guessing the endings. It also connects straight to Roman culture, since ager (land and farmland) was central to Rome's economy, law, and politics.
Keep studying Elementary Latin Unit 2
Visual cheatsheet
view gallerySecond declension masculine endings (Unit 2)
Ager uses the standard masculine second declension endings (-i, -o, -um, -o in the singular), it just builds them on the stem agr- instead of a full -us nominative. Learning it teaches you the -er variation of the same pattern.
stem + ending (Unit 2)
Ager is the clearest reason to find the stem from the genitive, not the nominative. The genitive agri shows the real stem agr-, and every case ending attaches there.
ager publicus (Unit 2)
Ager publicus, 'public land,' is the same noun in a real Roman context. It shows how ager moves from a grammar example into actual vocabulary about Roman land and politics.
agricola (Unit 2)
Agricola ('farmer') literally combines ager with a root meaning 'to cultivate.' Spotting ager inside it helps you remember the noun and decode related words.
Expect ager in quizzes and homework that ask you to decline a second declension noun, identify the case and number of a form, or match a noun to its genitive. A common task is filling out a full declension chart, where the test is whether you drop the -e- to get the agr- stem. In translation passages, you'll need to recognize agrum as accusative ('the field' as object) or agros as accusative plural, and agri as either genitive singular ('of the field') or nominative plural ('the fields'). Always pair ager with its genitive agri when you memorize it.
Both ager and puer are second declension masculine nouns ending in -er, but they decline differently. Ager drops the -e- (ager, agri), while puer keeps it (puer, pueri). The only way to tell is to learn the genitive.
Ager is a second declension masculine noun meaning 'field' or 'land,' with genitive agri.
The stem is agr-, so you drop the -e- in every form except the nominative singular ager.
Ager belongs to the -er group of second declension nouns, alongside puer and vir.
Always learn ager with its genitive (agri) so you know whether to keep or drop the -e-.
The form agri can be genitive singular ('of the field') or nominative plural ('the fields'), so use context to decide.
Ager means 'field' or 'land,' usually cultivated farmland. It's a second declension masculine noun, and its genitive singular is agri.
It's agri. Ager drops the -e- when you form the stem, so the base for every case except the nominative singular is agr-.
Both are second declension masculine -er nouns, but ager drops the -e- (ager, agri) while puer keeps it (puer, pueri). You have to learn each one's genitive to know which it is.
Ager is masculine. Neuter second declension nouns end in -um (like verbum), so ager takes masculine endings throughout its declension.
Singular: ager, agri, agro, agrum, agro. Plural: agri, agrorum, agris, agros, agris. Every form after the nominative singular is built on the stem agr-.