§12. Accent

Words of two syllables are accented on the first syllable: as, Rō'ma, fi'dēs, tan'gō.

Words of more than two syllables are accented on the Penult¹ if that is long (as, amī'cus, monē'tur, contin'git); otherwise on the Antepenult (as, do'mĭnus, a'lăcris, dissociā'bĭlis).

a. When an enclitic is joined to a word, the accent falls on the syllable next before the enclitic, whether long or short: as, dĕă'que, ămārĕ've, tĭbĭ'ne, ită'que (and ... so), as distinguished from i'tăque (therefore). So (according to some) ex'inde, ec'quandō, etc.

Exceptions:

• Certain apparent compounds of faciō retain the accent of the simple verb: as,benefă'cit,calefă'cit (see § 266. a).
• In the second declension the genitive and vocative of nouns in -ius and the genitive of those in -ium retain the accent of the nominative: as, Cornē'lī,Vergi'lī, inge'nī (see § 49. c).
• Certain words which have lost a final vowel retain the accent of the complete words: as, illī'c forillī'ce,prōdū'c forprōdūce, sati'n for sati'sne.