Many foreign words in regular use form their plurals in the English way. We commonly say
bandits, not the Italian
banditti;
indexes, not the Latin
indices.
Others, however, retain their
foreign plurals:
axis,
axes,
datum,
data,
radius,
radii,
phenomenon,
phenomena.
Some have both an English and a foreign plural form:
beau,
beaus,
beaux. The English language does not have set rules to cover these special cases; each one must be learned for itself.
Certain foreign nouns retain their foreign plurals:
alumna,
alumnce;
alumnus,
alumni;
analysis,
analyses;
axis,
axes;
antithesis,
antitheses;
bacterium,
bacteria;
basis,
bases;
beau,
beaux;
crisis,
crises; etc.
Certain foreign nouns have two plural forms:
appendix,
appendices or
appendixes;
cherub,
cherubs or
cherubim;
formula,
formulae or
formulas;
memorandum,
memoranda or
memorandums.
Certain nouns have two plurals of different meanings:
brother,
brothers (in family),
brethren (in church or in society);
cloth,
cloths (varieties of cloth),
clothes (garments);
die,
dice (used in games of chance),
dies (implements for stamping or for making screws);
index,
indexes (referring to books),
indices (referring to mathematics);
penny,
pennies (coins, severally),
pence (amount reckoned by coins);
pea,
peas (a definite number of seeds of the pea-plant),
pease (peas spoken of collectively or in bulk).
When words taken from foreign languages have passed into common use, the plural is formed in the regular way. During the process of becoming part of our English language, however, two
plural forms are generally current, either of which you may use correctly.
The most common of these words are contained in the first table:
| (Singular Form) |
(English Plural) |
(Foreign Plural) |
| apex |
apexes |
apices |
| appendix |
appendixes |
appendices |
| automaton |
automatons |
automate |
| bandit |
bandits |
banditti |
| beau |
beaus |
beaux |
| cactus |
cactuses |
cacti |
| cherub |
cherubs |
cherubim |
| chrysalis |
chrysalises |
chrysalides |
| emporium |
emporiums |
emporia |
| encomium |
encomiums |
encomia |
| focus |
focuses |
foci |
| formula |
formulas |
formulae |
| helix |
helixes |
helices |
| index |
indexes |
indices |
| iris |
irises |
irides |
| medium |
mediums |
media |
| memorandum |
memorandums |
memoranda |
| scholium |
scholiums |
scholia |
| seraph |
seraphs |
seraphim |
| stigma |
stigmas |
stigmata |
| virtuoso |
virtuosos |
virtuosi |
The following foreign importations still retain the foreign plural form, which we now use in our English language:
| (Singular Form) |
(Foreign Plural) |
| addenda |
addendum |
| amanuenses |
amanuensis |
| analyses |
analysis |
| antenna |
antennae |
| antithesis |
antitheses |
| axes |
axis |
| bacteria |
bacterium |
| bases |
basis |
| chateau |
chateaux |
| crisis |
crises |
| criteria |
criterion |
| data |
datum |
| desiderata |
desideratum |
| dicta |
dictum |
| ellipsis |
ellipses |
| emphasis |
emphases |
| ephemera |
ephemerae |
| errata |
erratum |
| esophagus |
esophagi |
| genius |
genii |
| genus |
genera |
| gymnasium |
gymnasia |
| hypothesis |
hypotheses |
| lamina |
laminae |
| larva |
larvae |
| mausoleum |
mausolea |
| metamorphosis |
metamorphoses |
| miasma |
miasmata |
| minutia |
minutiae |
| momentum |
momenta |
| nebula |
nebulae |
| nucleus |
nuclei |
| oasis |
oases |
| octopus |
octopi |
| parenthesis |
parentheses |
| phenomenon |
phenomena |
| radius |
radii |
| spectrum |
spectra |
| stimulus |
stimuli |
| stratum |
strata |
| synopsis |
synopses |
| synthesis |
syntheses |
| terminus |
termini |
| thesis |
theses |
| vortex |
vortices |
| (Singular Form) |
(Foreign Plural) |
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