intransitive
/ɪnˈtɹænsətɪv/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.32 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Not transitive: not having, or not taking, a direct object.
adj
Not transitive or passing further; kept; detained.
adj
Of a set of dice: containing three dice A, B, and C, with the property that A rolls higher than B more than half the time, and B rolls higher than C more than half the time, but lacking the property that A rolls higher than C more than half the time. See intransitive dice and intransitive game.
noun
Example Sentences
- "The word "drink" is a transitive verb in "they drink wine", but an intransitive one in "they drink often.""
- "1664-1667, Jeremy Taylor, Dissuasive from Popery And then it is for the image's sake and so far is intransitive; but whatever is paid more to the image is transitive and passes further."
- "This means that subcategorization properties do not allow us to distinguish between transitives and intransitives (both types of verbs are allowed, but not obliged, to take a direct object)."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in-bor. Middle English in- English in- English transitive English intransitive From in- + transitive.