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Webster's New World College Dictionary » vocative
vocative
vocative definition
voca·tive (väk′ə tiv)
adjective
Gram. designating, of, or in the case of nouns, pronouns, or adjectives used in direct address to indicate the person or thing addressed
Etymology: ME vocatif < OFr or L: OFr < L vocativus < pp. of vocare, to call < vox, voice
noun
- the vocative case: this case is expressed by a change in form in languages such as Latin and by word order and intonation in English (Ex.: Latin “Tite” for “Titus”; English “Bill” in “Bill, don't do that!”)
- a word or phrase in this case
Related Forms:
- vocatively voc′a·tively adverb
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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