genitive
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈd͡ʒɛnɪtɪv/
enpr: jĕ'nətĭv
ipa: /ˈd͡ʒɛnətɪv/
Forms: form: genetive
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”)).
Senses: synonyms: progenitive
glosses: Of or pertaining to the generation of offspring; generative, procreative, reproductive.
examples: text: dependent genitive
text: independent genitive
text: 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.
text: [T]he poticaries and barbarus wryters call it [the iris] Irios in the genetiue caſe.
ref: 1562, Wylliam Turner [i.e., William Turner], “Of the Herbe Called in Latin Irio”, in The Second Parte of Guilliam Turners Herball⸝ […], Cologne: […] Arnold Birckman, →OCLC, folio 23, recto:
text: 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., […]
ref: 1669, J[ohn] M[ilton], “Of Nouns”, in Accedence Commenc’t Grammar, […], to Attain the Latin Tongue; […], London: […] S[amuel] Simmons, […], →OCLC, page 5:
text: 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 […]
ref: 2024, Geoffrey K. Pullum, The Truth About English Grammar, Polity Press, →ISBN, pages 38-39:
text: Establishments that feature their owners' names, with signs like "Rosi's Bar" or "Kati's Kiosk" are a common sight around German towns and cities, but strictly speaking they are wrong: unlike English, German does not traditionally use apostrophes to indicate the genitive case or possession.
ref: 2024 October 7, Philip Oltermann, “Germans decry influence of English as ‘idiot’s apostrophe’ gets official approval”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 09 Oct 2024:
topics: grammar
human-sciences
linguistics
sciences
coordinate_terms: comitative
proprietive
glosses: 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.
topics: grammar
human-sciences
linguistics
sciences
glosses: Of, pertaining to, or used in the genitive case.
Derived terms: genitival
genitivally
genitive absolute
genitive-accusative
genitive case
genitively
nongenitive
philogenitive
philogenitiveness
Related terms: genital
progenitive
progeny