Thank you Paul and Andrew- my memories from grade 9 Latin were
confirmed- especially the part where you say "from then on it gets
complicated"!!!  Andrew reminds us that Greek is also used in
scientifiic names.  This brings up  further no-doubt non-simple
problems, such as: Is the Greek used in scientific names sometimes
"Latinized", and sometimes not?  When it is not, does one have to
research Greek endings and gender rules for adjectives as well, in order
to arrive at the "grammatically correct" endings for everything?  I  am
playing the "devil's Advocate" now- it seems we are stuck with a system
that fewer and fewer people understand- yet if we ignore it, even
partially, the resulting confusion will continue to multiply!!
 
                                                                                                                -Ross M
 
"This is the tragedy of life- that a grand and beautiful theory can be
slain by an ugly little fact."- garbled paraphrase of someone whose name
i've forgotten.