Translation of "sapientis baculum" and similar phrases

Question

It's my understanding that "sapientis baculum" would be "wise man's staff"

does order matter here for interpretation, such as "staff of the wise man" being "baculum sapientis"?

How would similar phrases such as "staff of the wise" (baculum sapientium?) translate?

Am I correct so far and if not what would be more correct?

Answer 1

Hi! In my personal experience, word order (syntax) in Latin is very open to interpretation and can often be used for effect, just like you are suggesting.

In most of the Latin I have encountered, *typically* the word modifying something comes AFTER the thing it describes. For example, in Latin, a Roman probably wouldn't say "sleeping cat" but "the cat sleeping." I believe this is because, in Latin, the adjective/participle/modifier must "agree" with the thing (noun/pronoun usually) in three ways (gender, case, and number). The object being modified then, usually comes first, because however the noun is being used in the sentence determines what the adjective looks like (its ending, at least).

TLDR: So, typically, I have seen the modifier (in your example the word 'sapientis' in the genitive case) follow whatever it is adding information about (here, the staff/stick). This can be changed around, but if so, it is usually for some poetic/rhetorical effect.

Hope this helps!