Dative Definition

dātĭv
adjective
Designating, of, or in the case of the indirect object of a finite verb.
Webster's New World

(sciences) Formed by two electrons contributed by one atom; see dative bond.

Wiktionary
noun
The dative case: in English this case may be expressed analytically by to or by word order (Ex.: I gave the book to Jack, I gave him the book)
Webster's New World
The dative case.
American Heritage
A word or phrase in this case.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:

Other Word Forms of Dative

Noun

Singular:
dative
Plural:
datives

Origin of Dative

  • Middle English datif from Latin (cāsus) datīvus (case) of giving (translation of Greek dotikē ptōsis) from datus past participle of dare to give dō- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Latin dativus (appropriate to giving), itself from datus (the past participle of dō (“I give”)) + -ivus (“-ive”).

    From Wiktionary

Dative Sentence Examples

  • The broad lower end of the symbol is rather an accidental pit in the stone than an attempt at a diacritic mark - the word is regei, in all probability the early dative form of rex, " king."

  • The oldest form of the word is Eriu, of which Erinn is the dative case.

  • The rounded form ofy is found with the value of G in R EC E I, which is probably the dative of rex.

  • At phrase-level, all constituents containing an instrumental are labeled dative.

  • These belong to a group of four auxiliary particles called te ni wo ha (or we), which serve to mark the cases of nouns, te (or de) being the sign of the instrumental ablative; ni that of the dative; wo that of the objective, and wa that of the nominative.

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