accusative

accusative
accusative (n.) grammatical case whose primary function is to express destination or goal of motion, mid-15c., from Anglo-Fr. accusatif, O.Fr. acusatif, or directly from L. (casus) accusativus " (case) of accusing," from accusatus, pp. of accusare (see ACCUSE (Cf. accuse)). Translating Greek ptosis aitiatike "case of that which is caused," on similarity of Gk. 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.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Accusative — Ac*cu sa*tive, a. [F. accusatif, L. accusativus (in sense 2), fr. accusare. See {Accuse}.] [1913 Webster] 1. Producing accusations; accusatory. This hath been a very accusative age. Sir E. Dering. [1913 Webster] 2. (Gram.) Applied to the case (as …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Accusative — Ac*cu sa*tive, n. (Gram.) The accusative case. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • accusative — is a grammatical term denoting a noun or pronoun that is governed by a verb or preposition, e.g. house in Then we saw the house and They stood in front of the house. In English it is only certain pronouns that change their form in the accusative… …   Modern English usage

  • accusative — [ə kyo͞o′zə tiv] adj. [ME acusatif < L accusativus < accusare, ACCUSE: L mistransl. (by PRISCIAN) of Gr grammatical term correctly rendered causativus, causative: the goal or end point of an action was orig. considered to be its cause] 1.… …   English World dictionary

  • accusative — index inculpatory Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • accusative — ► ADJECTIVE Grammar ▪ (of a case) expressing the object of an action or the goal of motion. ORIGIN from Latin casus accusativus the case showing cause …   English terms dictionary

  • accusative — I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo French or Latin; Anglo French acusatif, from Latin accusativus, from accusatus, past participle of accusare Date: 15th century 1. of, relating to, or being the grammatical case that marks the… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • accusative — accusatively, adv. /euh kyooh zeuh tiv/, adj. 1. Gram. a. (in certain inflected languages, as Latin, Greek, or Russian) noting a case whose distinctive function is to indicate the direct object of a verb or the object of certain prepositions. b.… …   Universalium

  • accusative — [[t]əkju͟ːzətɪv[/t]] N SING: the N In the grammar of some languages, the accusative, or the accusative case, is the case used for a noun when it is the direct object of a verb, or the object of some prepositions. In English, only the pronouns me …   English dictionary

  • accusative — 1. adjective a) Producing accusations; accusatory; accusatorial; a manner that reflects a finding of fault or blame , This hath been a very accusative age mdash; b) Applied to the case (as the fourth case of Latin and Greek nouns) which expresses …   Wiktionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”