ergative
(ʉr′gə tiv)
adjective
- designating, of, or in the case that is taken by the subject of a transitive verb in some languages, as Basque or Georgian, in which the direct object of a transitive verb and the subject of the related intransitive share the same case
- designating or of a verb or language whose transitive and intransitive uses are related in this way
See ergative in American Heritage Dictionary 4
adjective- Of or relating to a language, such as Georgian, in which the subject of an intransitive verb and the object of a transitive verb is expressed by one grammatical case, and the subject of a transitive verb is expressed by another.
- Of or relating to the grammatical case of the subject of a transitive verb in such a language.
noun- The ergative case.
- An ergative inflection.
- A nominal having an ergative form.
Origin:
Origin: From Greek ergatēs, worker
Origin: , from ergon, work; see werg- in Indo-European roots
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Related Forms:
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