[The Genitive of the Subject, Cause, Origin, or Owner.]
[1232.] (1.) The genitive is used to denote that which does the action, or which causes, originates, or possesses the object designated by the substantive it limits: as,
metus hostium, Gell. 9, 12, 13, the fear of the enemy, i.e. which they feel. adventus Caesaris, 6, 41, 4, the arrival of Caesar. bellum Venetōrum, 3, 16, 1, the war with the Venetans. illud Solōnis, CM. 50, Solon’s memorable words. Canachī sīgna, Br. 70, statues by Canachus. Cupīdinis sīgnum, V. 4, 135, the statue representing Cupid. huius sīgnīs, V. 3, 9, with statues belonging to this man. pācem Ariovistī, 1, 37, 2, a peaceful policy on Ariovistus’s part. Cannārum pugna, L. 23, 43, 4, the battle of Cannae ([1427]). abacī vāsa omnia, V. 4, 35, all the vessels on the sideboard. prīdiē eius diēī, 1, 47, 2, the day before that day ([1413]). labrōrum tenus, Lucr. 1, 940, the length of the lips ([1420]).
[1233.] Instead of the genitive, an adjective is often used to express such relations; less frequently a prepositional construction: as,
([a.]) odium paternum, N. 23, 1, 3, the hatred felt by his father. servīlī tumultū, 1, 40, 5, in the slave insurrection. bellō Cassiānō, 1, 13, 2, in the war with Cassius. illud Cassiānum, cui bonō fuerit, Ph. 2, 35, Cassius’s test question, ‘who the gainer was.’ erīlis patria, Pl. B. 170, my master’s birthplace. intrā domesticōs parietēs, C. 2, 1, within the walls of our houses. So usually with names of countries and of towns: as, anus Corinthia, T. Hau. 600, an old woman of Corinth. pugna Cannēnsis, L. 22, 50, 1, the battle of Cannae. Often in a generalizing sense: as, paternus māternusque sanguī̆s, RA. 66, the blood of a father and of a mother. (b.) ad Cannās pugnam, L. 22, 58, 1, the battle of Cannae.
[1234.] The possessive pronoun is regularly used instead of the possessive genitive of a personal or reflexive pronoun ([1230]): as,
mea domus, RA. 145, my own house. in tuā quādam epistolā, Att. 9, 10, 3, in a letter of yours. But sometimes, for emphasis, the genitive of the personal or reflexive is used: as, magnō suī cum perīculō, 4, 28, 2, with great personal risk; commonly so with omnium or utriusque: as, voluntātī vestrūm omnium pāruī, DO. 3, 208, I yielded to your joint wish; see however 1235.
[1235.] A word in apposition with the possessive pronoun is put in the genitive: as, meā ūnīus operā, Pis. 6, by my sole instrumentality. ad vestram omnium caedem, C. 4, 4, for the murder of you all ([1230]). So particularly ipse, omnis, sōlus, and ūnus.
[1236.] The genitive is often used predicatively with verbs meaning am, belong, become, make, seem, am accounted, &c., &c.: as,