ergative
[ ur-guh-tiv ]
/ ˈɜr gə tɪv /
adjective
Grammar.
- (in certain languages, as Basque, Eskimo, and some Caucasian languages) noting a case that indicates the subject of a transitive verb and is distinct from the case indicating the subject of an intransitive verb.
- similar to such a case in function or meaning, especially in indicating an agent, as the subject She in She opened the door, in contrast to the subject The door in The door opened.
Linguistics.
pertaining to a type of language that has an ergative case or in which the direct object of a transitive verb has the same form as the subject of an intransitive verb.
Compare accusative(def 2).
noun Grammar.
the ergative case.
a word in the ergative case.
a form or construction of similar function or meaning.
OTHER WORDS FROM ergative
er·ga·tiv·i·ty, nounWords nearby ergative
erfurt,
erg,
ergasia,
ergastoplasm,
ergate,
ergative,
ergatocracy,
ergo,
ergo-,
ergocalciferol,
ergodic
British Dictionary definitions for ergative
ergative
/ (ˈɜːɡətɪv) linguistics /
adjective
denoting a type of verb that takes the same noun as either direct object or as subject, with equivalent meaning. Thus, "fuse" is an ergative verb: "He fused the lights" and "The lights fused" have equivalent meaning
denoting a case of nouns in certain languages, for example, Inuktitut or Basque, marking a noun used interchangeably as either the direct object of a transitive verb or the subject of an intransitive verb
denoting a language that has ergative verbs or ergative nouns
noun
an ergative verb
an ergative noun or case of nouns
Word Origin for ergative
C20: from Greek
ergatēs a workman +
-ive