Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

vocative

/ˈvɑkətɪv/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.88 in modern English

Syllables
voca-tive
IPA
/ˈvɑkətɪv/
16
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of or pertaining to calling; used in calling or vocation.

adj

Used in address; appellative; said of the case or form of the noun, pronoun, or adjective by which a person or thing is addressed.

noun

The vocative case

noun

A word in the vocative case

noun

A vocative expression

noun

Something said to (or as though to) a particular person or thing; an entreaty, an invocation.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Late Middle English [Term?], borrowed from Middle French vocatif, from Latin vocātīvus (“for calling”); a calque of Ancient Greek κλητῐκή (klētĭkḗ, “for calling; vocative case”) – from vocāre (“to call”), from Proto-Indo-European *wokʷ-, o-grade of *wekʷ- (“give vocal utterance, speak”). See Latin vōx.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *wekʷ-, vocatif, vocātīvus

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈvɑkətɪv/
  • British English: /ˈvɒkətɪv/

Inflected Forms

more vocative (comparative) most vocative (superlative) vocatives (plural)

Derived Forms

vocatively

Phrases

vocative expressions Black Cat Editorial Services

Frequently Paired Words

vocal interjection vocative expressions Black Cat Editorial Services

Synonyms

vocative case

Questions

How do you pronounce vocative?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈvɑkətɪv/.
What does vocative mean?
Of or pertaining to calling; used in calling or vocation.
Where does vocative come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce vocative

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “vocative”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈvɑkətɪv/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “vocative”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “vocative” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.