Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
adjective
- (in certain inflected languages) noting a case of nouns, pronouns, or adjectives, used primarily to express possession, measure, or origin: as John’s hat, week’s vacation, duty’s call.
- noting an affix or other element characteristic of this case, or a word containing such an element.
- similar to such a case form in function or meaning.
noun
- the genitive case.
- a word in the genitive case.
- a construction noting this case or the relationship usually expressed by it.
adjective
- denoting a case of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives in inflected languages used to indicate a relation of ownership or association, usually translated by English of
noun
-
- the genitive case
- a word or speech element in this case
late 14c., from Old French genitif or directly from Latin (casus) genitivus “case expressing possession, source, origin,” from genitus (past participle of gignere; see genital); misused by Latin grammarians to render Greek genike (ptosis) “generic (case),” expressing race or kind (see genus). The noun meaning “the genitive case in grammar” is from 1610s.