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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genitives
plural
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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.
See Examples For:
The species name populi is a Latin singular noun in the genitive case meaning "of the people."
From Science Daily ● Feb. 7, 2026
During the Force Majeure show, Izzard gets to grips with German sentence structure and declensions, earning knowing applause from the Berlin crowd for his perfect use of the fiendishly tricky genitive case at one stage.
From Reuters ● Jan. 29, 2014
The genitive you are mine / is a phrase I cherished only when I'd moved on / and couldn't use it.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 20, 2013
But Toni Morrison’s is not an adjective, like red or beautiful; it’s a noun phrase in genitive case.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
But add either an article, as in A daughter cooked dinner, or a genitive, as in Jenny’s daughter cooked dinner, and the sentence is complete.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Several old genitives and plural forms continued to exist, and the dative or prepositional case has usually a final e.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6 "English Language" to "Epsom Salts" by Various
But the two genitives, Patris, majestatis, suggest the accusative Patrem; and already the addition of Spiritum has suggested the inclusion, under Te, of the Three Persons.
From The Prayer Book Explained by Percival Jackson
Latin genitives, 117. similarity between Gothic and Latin, 127. genealogical relation of Latin to Greek, 172. the future in Latin, 230.
From Lectures on The Science of Language by Max Müller
Shakspeare, for example, uses Lucrece and cockatrice as genitives.
From Notes and Queries, Number 203, September 17, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. by George Bell
The genitives hande, slahte, leie = manner are used adverbially: maneger hande, slahte, or leie, in many ways, manifoldly.
From A Middle High German Primer Third Edition by Joseph Wright
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.
