Does anyone remember enough Latin to know if Prii is a grammatically correct way to pluralize Prius? I think it is not, but the grammar rules of Latin are very complicated. Many people think that a Latin noun ends in -us for singular and -i for plural, but that is not true. If Prius is a second declension Latin noun, then its spelling is like so: Case Singular Plural nominative Pri·us Pri·ī genitive Pri·ī Pri·ōrum dative Pri·ō Pri·īs accusative Pri·um Pri·ōs ablative Pri·ō Pri·īs vocative Pri·e Pri·ī locative Pri·ī Pri·īs But if this is so, then your car is a "Prius" only when it is the subject of a sentence: "Prius is the world's best car." (singular) "Prii are the best cars in the world." (plural) But in Genitive case: "I am a Prii fan". (singular) "I am a Priis fan" (plural) The most common use of Prius is in the Dative case: "Let's get in the Prio and go to the mall." (singular) "Let's log into PriusChat and talk about our Priis." (plural) "Let's go to the mall in the Prium." (singular accusative) "Dude, where's my Prii?" You get the idea. You don't pluralize something in Latin by just taking an -i onto it.
I thought Prius is neutral from prior, so in plural it should be priora: Number Singular Singular Plural Plural Case\Gender M.F. N. MM.FF. NN. nominative prior prius priōrēs priōra genitive priōris priōris priōrum priōrum dative priōrī priōrī priōribus priōribus accusative priōrem prius priōrēs priōra ablative priōre priōre priōribus priōribus vocative prior prius priōrēs priōra
Plural of Prius, Prii? Not According to Latin Experts - KickingTires Nick Young, a Latin and classical studies instructor at the University of Detroit Mercy, told the Detroit Free Press that the plural of “Prius” is actually "Priora" or "Priores." Ben Zimmer, a columnist for the New York Times, counters that either “Priora” or “Prii” are correct answers, but he told the Free Press that adding Latin plurals to “Prius” seems a bit forced. “We're not speaking Latin. We might as well form the word the way English plurals are formed," Zimmer said. In that case, the plural really should be “Priuses,” even if it sounds a bit silly.
Aha! Let's try that... "Prius is the world's best car." (singular) "Priora are the best cars in the world." (plural) But in Genitive case: "I am a Prioris fan". (singular) "I am a Priorum fan" (plural) The most common use of Prius is in the Dative case: "Let's get in the Priori and go to the mall." (singular) "Let's log into PriusChat and talk about our Prioribus." (plural) "Let's go to the mall in the Prius." (singular accusative)
Sometimes, grammatically correct is just plain awkward. 'Pree-eye' is a perfect example, and 'Priusses' isn't a whole lot better. Prius as both singular and plural seems the simplest and most elegant.
I agree, it's "." However, if we are to pluralize Prius as if the word is Latin, Prii isn't correct. The plural is Priora, Priorum, or Prioibus, depending upon how you use the word in a sentence.
This is why I think it is silly to treat a word derived from Latin or Greek as though we were speaking those languages. We are not. We are speaking (or writing) English. I treat "Prius" as though it were a made-up name, and I use "Priuses" as the plural, though I accept "Prius" as some English words are their own plural. Similarly I speak of forums rather than fora. OTOH, sometimes common usage is otherwise: If we have more than one datum it becomes data. What I think is really silly is that I've seen people here on Prius Chat use "Prii" as the singular!
This is the general rule followed by most copy editors. Once a word becomes common in English it is treated as an English word, with normal English rules. Tom
Being silly is good enough reason to use it. If it bugs Latinos (or whatever you call those long dead Latins), so much the better.
This controversy is over. Toyota had Prius owners vote and the decision was "Prii". Let's just get along. JeffD
The pronunciation is close, but your spelling gives you away. If it's any consolation, I hunch we'll be in agreement with the Prius C.
I personally eschew the PREE-EYE thing. It doesn't bother me, I just don't look to a car manufacturer's poll for guidance on how I refer to a group, gaggle, or bunch of their products. I'm not trying to be a buzz-kill or anything, but the fact is I own a Harley, and as fanatical as that group of folks tend to be, I also avoid the leather and tassels look as well. No.....I don't have a tat either...and I'm a sailor! I've never been much of a follower I guess.....
But, but, but... Priora wasn't even one of the choices. I have to admit, "Prius goes Plural" was a clever campaign.
Yes, that was a clever campaign. Toyota could have made the whole thing much easier by saying "Prius IS plural", but that would have taken all the fun out of it.
