De Abusu linguae Graecae

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Concerning certain Greek nouns in the gender of which errors are made. CHAP. I.

SYMBOLVM and Symbola, many even of those who are not to be ranked among the common crowd are accustomed to say "to confer a symbolum"; yet it should be said, "symbolam conferre," and "symbolas." For it is found that the Latin comic poets who survive for us, Plautus and Terence, use this feminine, not that neuter, if any faith is to be had in truthful copies. And rightly so, indeed; for the use of this feminine in this meaning is frequent, both with other Greek writers and, in particular, with the comic writers, as in Athenaeus; but for that which is neuter, there is no use, as in Eubulus in OEdipode: