accusative
pronunciation
How to pronounce accusative in British English:
UK [əˈkju:zətɪv]
How to pronounce accusative in American English:
US [əˈkjuzətɪv]
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- Noun:
- the category of nouns serving as the direct object of a verb
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- Adjective:
- containing or expressing accusation
- serving as or indicating the object of a verb or of certain prepositions and used for certain other purposes
Word Origin
- accusative (n.)
- grammatical case whose primary function is to express destination or goal of motion, mid-15c., from Anglo-French accusatif, Old French acusatif, or directly from Latin (casus) accusativus "(case) of accusing," from accusatus, past participle of accusare (see accuse). Translating Greek ptosis aitiatike "case of that which is caused," on similarity of Greek aitiasthai "accuse." Greek aitia is the root of both, and means both "cause" and "accusation," hence the confusion of the Romans. A more correct translation would have been casus causativus. Typically the case of the direct object, but also sometimes denoting "motion towards." Nouns and adjectives in French, Spanish, and Italian, languages from which English has borrowed heavily, generally were formed from the accusative case of a Latin word.
Example
- 1. Most transitive verbs govern the accusative case in german .
- 2. Infinitive in indirect statement with accusative subject .
- 3. Latin hominem is in the accusative case .