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locative

American  
[lok-uh-tiv] / ˈlɒk ə tɪv /

adjective

  1. (in certain inflected languages) noting a case whose distinctive function is to indicate place in or at which, as Latin domī “at home.”


noun

  1. the locative case.

  2. a word in that case.

locative British  
/ ˈlɒkətɪv /

adjective

  1. (of a word or phrase) indicating place or direction

  2. denoting a case of nouns, etc, that refers to the place at which the action described by the verb occurs

"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

noun

    1. the locative case

    2. a word or speech element in this case

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of locative

1795–1805; locate + -ive, on the model of vocative

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.

GPS imaging, a digitally animated rendering of a figure in a given space enabled by satellite locative technologies, serves a similar purpose in these narratives, and is used both alongside and interchangeably with satellite photography.

From Slate • Jun. 29, 2017

“I’m sorry, but would the locative case do?”

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

It’s worth saying that locative memory—though most startling in its results and most intriguing in the hints it gives about neuropsychology—isn’t the only game in town.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Thus the locative is formed in various ways in Chinese:206 one is by adding such words as ćung, the middle, or néi, inside.

From Lectures on The Science of Language by Müller, Max

The locative case, sthitau, in the aphorism is intended to express the object or aim, as in the well-known phrase, "He kills the elephant for its skin."

From The Sarva-Darsana-Samgraha Review of the Different Systems of Hindu Philosophy by Acharya, Madhava

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