genitive

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genitive

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

genitive [Lat.,=genetic], in Latin grammar, the case typically used to refer to a possessor. The term is used in the grammar of other languages, but the phenomenon referred to may not closely resemble a Latin genitive; thus a Latin genitive will be translated by a number of different cases in Finnish. Such forms in English as his and father's are said to be genitive, or, more often, possessive.

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genitive

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | © The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

genitive XIV. — (O)F. génitif, -ive, or L. genitīvus, -īva (gene-), f. genit-, pp. stem of gignere beget, produce; see KIN, -IVE.

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T. F. HOAD. "genitive." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "genitive." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (December 26, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-genitive.html

T. F. HOAD. "genitive." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved December 26, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-genitive.html

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genitive

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | © The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2009, originally published by Oxford University Press 2009. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

gen·i·tive / ˈjenitiv/ Gram. • adj. relating to or denoting a case of nouns and pronouns (and words in grammatical agreement with them) indicating possession or close association. • n. a word in the genitive case. ∎  (the genitive) the genitive case. DERIVATIVES: gen·i·ti·val / ˌjeniˈtīvəl/ adj. gen·i·ti·val·ly / ˌjeniˈtīvəlē/ adv.

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