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Transitivity: meaning, definitions and examples

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transitivity

 

[ trænˈzɪtɪvɪti ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

grammatical concept

Transitivity refers to the grammatical property of verbs that indicates whether an action requires a direct object to complete its meaning. Verbs can be classified as intransitive, transitive, or ditransitive based on their transitivity. For example, in the sentence 'She kicked the ball', 'kicked' is a transitive verb because it takes a direct object 'the ball'.

Synonyms

action relation, objectivity.

Examples of usage

  • She reads books.
  • He broke the window.
  • They gave him a gift.
  • The cat chased the mouse.

Translations

Translations of the word "transitivity" in other languages:

🇵🇹 transitividade

🇮🇳 संक्रामकता

🇩🇪 Transitivität

🇮🇩 transitivitas

🇺🇦 перехідність

🇵🇱 przechodniość

🇯🇵 遷移性

🇫🇷 transitivité

🇪🇸 transitividad

🇹🇷 geçirgenlik

🇰🇷 전이성

🇸🇦 التحول

🇨🇿 přechodnost

🇸🇰 prechodnosť

🇨🇳 及物性

🇸🇮 prehodnost

🇮🇸 ferluleiki

🇰🇿 өту мүмкіндігі

🇬🇪 გადავლილი

🇦🇿 keçiricilik

🇲🇽 transitividad

Etymology

The term 'transitivity' comes from the Latin root 'transitīvus', meaning 'to go across' or 'to pass over'. This root is derived from 'transīre', meaning 'to go across' or 'to pass'. The grammatical term emerged in the late 19th century as linguists began to categorize verbs based on their ability to take direct objects. Initially used in the context of Latin grammar, the concept of transitivity was gradually adopted in the study of other languages, including English. Over the years, various linguistic frameworks have explored and defined transitivity, influencing the understanding of verb usage and structure in language studies.

Word Frequency Rank

At rank #28,130, this word represents specialized academic or technical vocabulary. It's less frequently encountered but may be valuable in specific contexts.