7.  The plural of legumen is legumens or legumina; of stamen, stamens or stamina:  of cherub, cherubs or cherubim; of seraph, seraphs or seraphim; of beau, beaus or beaux; of bandit, bandits or banditti.  The regular forms are in general preferable.  The Hebrew plurals cherubim and seraphim, being sometimes mistaken for singulars, other plurals have been formed from them; as, “And over it the cherubims of glory.”—­Heb. ix, 5.  “Then flow one of the seraphims unto me.”—­Isaiah, vi, 6.  Dr. Campbell remarks:  “We are authorized, both by use and by analogy, to say either cherubs and seraphs, according to the English idiom, or cherubim and seraphim, according to the oriental.  The former suits better the familiar, the latter the solemn style.  I shall add to this remark,” says he, “that, as the words cherubim and seraphim are plural, the terms cherubims and seraphims, as expressing the plural, are quite improper.”—­Phil. of Rhet., p. 201.

OBS. 40.—­When other parts of speech become nouns, they either want the plural, or form it regularly,[158] like common nouns of the same endings; as, “His affairs went on at sixes and sevens.”—­Arbuthnot.  “Some mathematicians have proposed to compute by twoes; others, by fours; others, by twelves.”—­Churchill’s Gram., p. 81.  “Three fourths, nine tenths.”—­Ib., p. 230.  “Time’s takings and leavings.”—­ Barton.  “The yeas and nays.”—­Newspaper.  “The ays and noes.”—­Ib. “Oes and spangles.”—­Bacon.  “The ins and the outs.”—­Newspaper.”—­We find it more safe against outs and doubles.”—­Printer’s Gram. “His ands and his ors.”—­Mott.  “One of the buts.”—­Fowle.  “In raising the mirth of stupids.”—­Steele. “Eatings, drinkings, wakings, sleepings, walkings, talkings, sayings, doings—­all were for the good of the public; there was not such a things as a secret in the town.”—­LANDON:  Keepsake, 1833.  “Her innocent forsooths and yesses.”—­Spect., No. 266.

   “Henceforth my wooing mind shall be expressed
    In russet yeas and honest kersey noes.” 
        —­SHAK.  See Johnson’s Dict., w.  Kersey.

GENDERS.

Genders, in grammar, are modifications that distinguish objects in regard to sex.

There are three genders; the masculine, the feminine, and the neuter.

The masculine gender is that which denotes persons or animals of the male kind; as, man, father, king.