genitive
/ˈd͡ʒɛnətɪv/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.57 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Of a grammatical case: in an inflected language (such as Greek or Latin), expressing that a thing denoted by a word is related to a thing denoted by another word as its origin or possessor; and in an uninflected language (such as English), expressing origin or possession; possessive.
adj
Of, pertaining to, or used in the genitive case.
noun
Ellipsis of genitive case (“a grammatical case used to express a relationship of origin or possession”).
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A word inflected in the genitive case, and which thus indicates origin or possession.
Countable
Example Sentences
- "dependent genitive"
- "independent genitive"
- "The student who had taken a German exam realised his error afterwards. He had used the dative case instead of the genitive case to show possession."
- "[T]he poticaries and barbarus wryters call it [the iris] Irios in the genetiue caſe."
- "Nouns Subſtantive have five Declenſions or forms of ending thir Caſes, chiefly diſtinguiſht by the different ending of thir Genitive Singular. […] The firſt [declension] is vvhen the Genitive and Dative ſingular end in æ, &c., […]"
- "Two kinds of genitive: All nouns have a genitive form, but pronouns have two of them. The dependent genitive form is used before a head noun, and the independent genitive form (usually distinct) is used on its own but with a genitive-related meaning. […] my painting, where my is the dependent genitive of I, but That painting is mine, where mine is the independent genitive […]"
Etymology
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English genetif (“pertaining to the genitive case; pertaining to the generation of offspring”) + English -ive (suffix meaning ‘relating or belonging to’ forming adjectives). Genetif is from Anglo-Norman genetif, genitif, and Middle French genetif, genitif (“pertaining to the generation of offspring, procreative; (grammar) pertaining to the genitive case”) (modern French génitif), and from their etymon Latin genetīvus (“pertaining to the generation of offspring; (grammar) pertaining to the genitive case”) (whence Late Latin genitivus), from genitus (“begotten, engendered; produced”) + -īvus (suffix meaning ‘doing’ or ‘related to doing’ forming adjectives). Genitus is the perfect passive participle of gignō (“to beget, give birth to; to produce, yield”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget, give birth; to produce”). Latin genetīvus cāsus (or cāsus genetīvus, cāsus genitīvus (literally “grammatical case pertaining to birth or origin”)), was used to translate Koine Greek γενῐκή πτῶσις (genĭkḗ ptôsis, literally “inflection expressing a genus or kind”) which actually means “generic case”, though it refers to what is now called the genitive case. The noun is derived from Late Middle English genetif (“genitive case”), from the adjective (see above). Compare Middle French genitif (modern French génitif) and Latin genetīvus (short for genetīvus cāsus (“genitive case”)).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *ǵenh₁-, genetif, genetīvus
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈd͡ʒɛnətɪv/
- British English: /ˈd͡ʒɛnɪtɪv/