Finesentence logo

Accusative: meaning, definitions and examples

⚖️
Add to dictionary

accusative

 

[ əˈkjuːzətɪv ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

grammar case

The accusative is a grammatical case used to indicate the direct object of a verb. In many languages, including Latin and German, it is crucial for identifying what or whom is being acted upon. It is often marked by specific endings or forms of nouns, pronouns, or adjectives.

Synonyms

direct object case, object case

Examples of usage

  • In Latin, 'puellam' is in the accusative case, meaning 'the girl'.
  • In German, 'Ich sehe den Mann' translates to 'I see the man', with 'den Mann' in the accusative.
  • The accusative case typically answers the questions 'what?' or 'whom?'.

Translations

Translations of the word "accusative" in other languages:

🇵🇹 acusativo

🇮🇳 अभिव्यक्तिपरक

🇩🇪 Akkusativ

🇮🇩 akusatip

🇺🇦 акузатив

🇵🇱 biernik

🇯🇵 対格 (たいかく)

🇫🇷 accusatif

🇪🇸 acusativo

🇹🇷 nesne hali

🇰🇷 목적격

🇸🇦 المفعول به

🇨🇿 akuzativ

🇸🇰 akusativ

🇨🇳 宾格 (bīngé)

🇸🇮 akkusativ

🇮🇸 andi

🇰🇿 белгілеп көрсету

🇬🇪 მოქმედებითი საკითხი

🇦🇿 təyin

🇲🇽 acusativo

Etymology

The term 'accusative' originates from the Latin word 'accusativus', which is derived from 'accusare', meaning 'to accuse'. The word reflects the case's function, which is to indicate the noun or pronoun that is directly receiving the action of the verb. Historically, the accusative case was central in the inflectional structure of many Indo-European languages, serving to denote the object of verb actions. Linguistically, its use can be traced back to ancient Greek and Latin, where it played a pivotal role in sentence structure. Over time, as language evolved, the accusative case has remained significant in various modern languages, continuing to serve as an essential grammatical marker.

Word Frequency Rank

Positioned at #20,235, this word is part of extensive vocabulary. It's relatively rare in general usage but may be important in specific fields or formal writing.