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Definition of dative noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

dative

noun
 
/ˈdeɪtɪv/
 
/ˈdeɪtɪv/
(grammar)
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  1. (in some languages) the form of a noun, a pronoun or an adjective when it is the indirect object of a verb or is connected with the indirect object
    • In the sentence, ‘I sent her a postcard’, the word ‘her’ is in the dative.
    compare ablative, accusative, genitive, instrumental (2), locative, nominative, vocativeTopics Languagec2
    Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin (casus) dativus ‘(case) of giving’, from dat- ‘given’, from the verb dare.
See dative in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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