ablative absolute

American  

noun

Latin Grammar.

1. a construction not dependent upon any other part of the sentence, consisting of a noun and a participle, noun and adjective, or two nouns, in which both members are in the ablative case, as Latin viā factā, “the road having been made.”

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ablative absolute British  

noun

1. an absolute construction in Latin grammar in which a governor noun and a modifier in the ablative case function as a sentence modifier; for example, hostibus victis, "the enemy having been beaten"

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Etymology

Origin of ablative absolute

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

But apparently, only a few youngsters mull over the ablative absolute out of sheer joy.

From Time Magazine Archive

The pupils become so eager to see what 16Cæsar will do next that they cannot afford the time to stare long at a mere ablative absolute.

From The Vitalized School by Pearson, Francis B.

Finding an ablative absolute, they are confident of finding some sort of proposition: and there it is, to their hand.

From Household Education by Martineau, Harriet

The ablative absolute, so strongly characteristic of classical Latin, is never found, or only in one doubtful instance.

From The History of Roman Literature From the earliest period to the death of Marcus Aurelius by Cruttwell, Charles Thomas

You will recognise this as an ablative absolute phrase.

From Helps to Latin Translation at Sight by Luce, Edmund