dative
(in certain inflected languages, as Latin, Greek, and German) noting a case having as a distinctive function indication of the indirect object of a verb or the object of certain prepositions.
the dative case.
a word or form in that case, as Latin regi in regi haec dicite meaning “tell this to the king.”
Origin of dative
1Other words from dative
- da·ti·val [dey-tahy-vuhl], /deɪˈtaɪ vəl/, adjective
- da·tive·ly, adverb
- non·da·ti·val, adjective
Words Nearby dative
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use dative in a sentence
Moreover, fet of the plural applies only to the nominative and accusative; the genitive has fota, the dative fotum.
Language | Edward SapirProbably folc should be taken as dative, or folke should be read; and sends it to the people and thereby betokens &c.
Every accusative resembles either the nominative or the dative; if the latter, it ends in -e.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 6 (of 7) -- Introduction, Glossary, and Indexes | Geoffrey ChaucerIf a final -e appears, it is usually in the dative case; but even in this case, it is frequently dropped.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 6 (of 7) -- Introduction, Glossary, and Indexes | Geoffrey ChaucerWhos occurs as expressing a genitive; and whom for a dative; but we never find who as a nominative.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 6 (of 7) -- Introduction, Glossary, and Indexes | Geoffrey Chaucer
British Dictionary definitions for dative
/ (ˈdeɪtɪv) grammar /
denoting a case of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives used to express the indirect object, to identify the recipients, and for other purposes
the dative case
a word or speech element in this case
Origin of dative
1Derived forms of dative
- datival (deɪˈtaɪvəl), adjective
- datively, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse