dative

views updated May 17 2018

da·tive / ˈdātiv/ Gram. • adj. (in Latin, Greek, German, and other languages) denoting a case of nouns and pronouns, and words in grammatical agreement with them, indicating an indirect object or recipient.• n. a noun or other word of this type. ∎  (the dative) the dative case.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

dative

views updated May 18 2018

dative (Sc.) appointed by the king or the commissary; (gram.) case denoting ‘to’ or ‘for’. XV. — L. datīvus pert. to giving, f. dat-, pp. stem of dare give; see -IVE.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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