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dative

[dey-tiv]

Origin

adjective

(in certain inflected languages, as Latin, Greek, and German) noting a case having as a distinctive function indication of the indirect object of a verb or the object of certain prepositions.

noun

the dative case.

a word or form in that case, as Latin regi in regi haec dicite meaning “tell this to the king.”

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a paragraph mark.

a dash one em long.

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Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English datif < Latin datīvus (casus) dative (case), equivalent to dat(us) given (see date¹) + -īvus -ive; translation of Greek dotikḗ (ptôsis)

Related forms

da·ti·val

[dey-tahy-vuhl] , adjective

da·tive·ly, adverb

non·da·ti·val, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To dative

Collins

World English Dictionary

dative (ˈdeɪtɪv)

—*adj*
1.	denoting a case of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives used to express the indirect object, to identify the recipients, and for other purposes

—n
2.	a. the dative case
	b. a word or speech element in this case

[C15: from Latin datīvus, from dare to give; translation of Greek dotikos]

datival

—*adj*

'datively

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

dative

mid-15c., from L. dativus "pertaining to giving," from datus "given," in grammatical use from Gk. dotike (ptosis), from dotikos "of giving nature," from dotos "given," from PIE base *do- "to give" (see date (1)). In law, "that may be disposed of at pleasure," from 1530s.

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nonce oblique sith somedeal swathe thee

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