[1241.] (3.) The partitive genitive denotes a whole of which the limited substantive denotes a part. There are two kinds of partitive genitive, the numerical and the quantitative: as,
([a.]) mīlitum pars, 6, 40, 8, part of the soldiers, numerical partitive ([1242]). (b.) multum aestātis, 5, 22, 4, much of the summer, quantitative partitive ([1247]).
[1242.] (a.) The numerical partitive is a plural or a collective, limiting a word expressing part of the number: as,
mīlitum pars, 6, 40, 8, part of the soldiers. pars equitātūs, 4, 16, 2, part of the cavalry. alter cōnsulum, L. 6, 35, 5, one of the two consuls. uter est īnsānior hōrum? H. S. 2, 3, 102, which of these two is crazier? eōrum neuter, Pis. 62, neither of the two. multae istārum arborum, CM. 59, many of the trees you see there. quis omnium mortālium? V. 5, 179, who among all the sons of men? nēmō nostrūm, RA. 55, not one of us. nihil hōrum, RA. 138, none of these things. Stertinius, sapientum octāvus, H. S. 2, 3, 296, Stertinius, of sages eighth. ō maior iuvenum, H. AP. 366, O elder of the youths. hōrum omnium fortissimī sunt Belgae, 1, 1, 3, of all these the stoutest fighters are the Belgians. Also with superlative adverbs: as, deōrum maximē Mercurium colunt, Ta. G. 9, of the gods, they revere Mercury most. minumē gentium, Pl. Poen. 690, T. Eu. 625, no, never in the world.
[1243.] uterque, each, both, often takes the genitive plural of a pronoun: as, quōrum uterque, uterque eōrum, hōrum, nostrūm, &c.; sometimes of a substantive and pronoun combined: as, utriusque hārum rērum, TD. 1, 65, of each of these things. quārum cīvitātum utraque, V. 5, 56, each of these communities. With a substantive alone, it is oftener attributive: as, uterque dux, Marc. 24, each commander; and sometimes with neuter pronouns: as, quod utrumque, Brut. in Fam. 11, 1, 1, N. 25, 2, 4. The plural utrīque is used both ways: as, ab utrīsque vestrūm, Fam. 11, 21, 5, and ab utrīsque nōbīs, Brut. in Fam. 11, 20, 3.
[1244.] The plurals tot, totidem, and quot, are not used partitively, and omnēs and cūnctī only so by poets and late prose writers. plērīque is used either way, in agreement, or with the genitive.
[1245.] The numerical partitive is exceptionally used in poetry with the positive of a descriptive adjective: as, sāncte deōrum, V. 4, 576, thou holy of the gods. And in late prose, particularly with words denoting a class of persons: as, cum dēlēctīs peditum, L. 26, 5, 3, with the pick of the infantry. levīs cohortium, Ta. 3, 39, the light-armed of the cohorts.
[1246.] Instead of the numerical partitive, a prepositional expression with ante, inter, or in, or with ex or dē, is sometimes used: as, ante aliōs acceptissimus, L. 1, 15, 8, most welcome before others. So particularly quīdam and ūnus, duo, trēs, with ex or dē: as, quīdam ex hīs, 2, 17, 2, one of these. ūnus dē multīs, Fin. 2, 66, one of the common herd. But ūnus sometimes has the genitive: as, ūnus multōrum, H. S. 1, 9, 71. And usually so in a series, when ūnus is followed by alter, alius, tertius, &c.
[1247.] (b.) The quantitative partitive is usually a singular, limiting a neuter singular word denoting amount. The limited word is either a nominative, or an accusative without a preposition. This genitive often borders very closely on the genitive of definition ([1255]): as,