genitive
Americanadjective
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(in certain inflected languages) noting a case of nouns, pronouns, or adjectives, used primarily to express possession, measure, or origin: as John's hat, week's vacation, duty's call.
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noting an affix or other element characteristic of this case, or a word containing such an element.
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similar to such a case form in function or meaning.
noun
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the genitive case.
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a word in the genitive case.
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a construction noting this case or the relationship usually expressed by it.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of genitive
1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin genitīvus, equivalent to genit ( us ) (past participle of gignere to beget) + -īvus -ive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Proper names in -ēs, like Periclēs, form the Genitive Singular sometimes in -is, sometimes in -ī, as, Periclis or Periclī.
From New Latin Grammar by Bennett, Charles E. (Charles Edwin)
Analogy between the Genitive and Plural.—In a note by Rev. J. Bandinel, in Mr. Christmas' edition of Pegge's Anecdotes of the English Language, 1844, the question is asked at p.
From Notes and Queries, No. 209, October 29 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Geneologists, etc. by Various
Genitive or Possessive De mia bona patro = Of my good father, or, My good father’s.
From The International Auxiliary Language Esperanto Grammar and Commentary by Cox, George
When a compound term occurs, made up of a Noun and an Infinitive governed by that Noun, it often happens that this term itself governs another Noun in the Genitive.
From Elements of Gaelic Grammar by Stewart, Alexander
They always have -ī in the Ablative Singular, -ia in the Nominative, Accusative, and Vocative Plural, and -ium in the Genitive Plural, thus holding more steadfastly to the i-character than do Masculine and Feminine ĭ-Stems.
From New Latin Grammar by Bennett, Charles E. (Charles Edwin)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
