Skip to main content
genitive case

genitive case

7.2
A grammatical form that shows possession or a close relationship, usually shown with 's
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒɛnɪtɪv keɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : caso genitivo
  • In Dothraki, the genitive case is the default expression of alienable possession.

But Old English doesn't need the preposition because it has the genitive case to sort of embed that of indirectly into the word itself.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • The teacher explained that the genitive case shows who owns something in the sentence.

  • But Old English doesn't need the preposition because it has the genitive case to sort of embed that of indirectly into the word itself.

  • Aside from their aesthetic merit, the passages are chosen to illustrate a particular grammatical construction: the genitive case, reflexive verbs, the passive voice, the comparative.

    Academic text (1994)
  • In English, the genitive case is often formed by adding 's to a noun.

  • To indicate possession, the genitive case is used as in the phrase 'the dog's leash.'

Synonyms

possessive
vsgenitive case
  • Specialized
1 3.8

A form of a word that shows something belongs to someone

is the specific grammatical case marking possession or close relationship
genitive
vsgenitive case
  • Specialized
1 7.7

Showing that something belongs to someone, for example 'the girl's book'

is usually marked by the addition of 's or an apostrophe
possessive case
vsgenitive case
  • Specialized
4.4

A word form that shows who something belongs to, for example John's book

includes close relationships as well as ownership in grammar

Surface Forms

genitive case singular

Morphology

genitive + case

The phrase 'genitive case' is directly compositional: 'genitive' names the grammatical function of marking possession or relation and 'case' denotes an inflectional category, so the combined meaning is simply the case that is genitive. This construction is morphosyntactically transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

The term genitive case comes from an old Latin word meaning 'birth' or 'family'. It shows who or what something belongs to — for example the 's in the dog's leash — so it means 'possession' or a close relationship.