§44. So, _Lūcius_ meant originally "born by day," _Mānius_, "born in the morning"; _Quīntus_, _Sextus_, _Decimus_, _Postumus_, etc., indicated the succession in the family; _Tullus_ was connected with the verb _tollere_ in the sense of "acknowledge" (§95), _Servius_ with _servāre_, _Gāius_ with _gaudēre_. Others are associated with the name of some divinity, as _Mārcus_ and _Māmercus_ with Mars, and _Tiberius_ with the river god Tiberis. But these meanings in the course of time were forgotten as completely as we have forgotten the meanings of our Christian names, and even the numerals were employed with no reference to their proper force: Cicero's only brother was called _Quīntus_. [Illustration: FIGURE 7. AUGUSTUS] §45. The abbreviation of the _praenōmen_ was not a matter of mere caprice, as is the writing of initials with us, but was an established custom, indicating perhaps Roman citizenship. The _praenōmen_ was written out in full only when it was used by itself or when it belonged to a person in one of the lower classes of society. When Roman names are carried over into English, they should always be written out in full and pronounced accordingly. In the same way, when we read a Latin author and find a name abbreviated, the full name should always be pronounced if we read aloud or translate. §46. The Nomen.--This, the all-important name, is called for greater precision the _nōmen gentīle_ and the _nōmen gentīlicium_. The child inherited it, as one inherits his surname now, and there was, therefore, no choice or selection about it. The _nōmen_ ended originally in _-ius_, and this ending was sacredly preserved by the patrician families: the endings _-eius_, _-aius_, _-aeus_, and _-eus_ are merely variations from it. Other endings point to a non-Latin origin of the gens. Those in _-ācus_ (_Avidiācus_) are Gallic, those in _-na_ (_Caecīna_) are Etruscan, those in _-ēnus_ or _-iēnus_ (_Salvidiēnus_) are Umbrian or Picene. Some others are formed from the name of the town from which the family sprang, either with the regular terminations _-ānus_ and _-ēnsis_ (_Albānus_, _Norbānus_, _Aquiliēnsis_), or with the suffix _-ius_ (_Perusius_, _Parmēnsius_) in imitation of the older and more aristocratic use. Standing entirely apart is the _nōmen_ of the notorious _Gāius Verrēs_, which looks like a _cognōmen_ out of place (§55).