Ablative Definition
ăblə-tĭv
adjective
Of, relating to, or being a grammatical case indicating separation, direction away from, sometimes manner or agency, and the object of certain verbs. It is found in Latin and other Indo-European languages.
American Heritage
Designating, of, or in a case expressing removal, deprivation, direction away from, source, cause, or agency.
Webster's New World
Of, relating to, or capable of ablation.
American Heritage
That ablates, as the protective coating material on the nose cone of a space missile.
Webster's New World
Tending to ablate.
American Heritage
noun
The ablative case.
American Heritage
The ablative case: this case is expressed by inflection in languages such as Latin, Sanskrit, and Hungarian.
Webster's New World
A word in this case.
American Heritage
A word or phrase in this case.
Webster's New World
(grammar) The ablative case. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
Other Word Forms of Ablative
Noun
Singular:
ablative
Plural:
ablativesOrigin of Ablative
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From Middle English, from Old French ablatif (“the ablative case”), from Latin ablātīvus (“expressing removal”), from Latin ablātus (“taken away”), from Latin auferō (“I take away”). The engineering/nautical sense is a back-formation from ablate.
From Wiktionary
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Middle English from Latin ablātīvus from ablātus carried away ablation
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From ablation
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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