Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🧩 Dividing into parts 🔢 A part-word
partitive

partitive

8.9
A word that shows a part of a whole, for example 'some'
  • noun
  • /ˈpɑːrtɪtɪv/
  • Specialized
translation icon : partitivo
  • In the phrase 'some of the cake,' 'some' functions as a partitive.

Examples

  • A partitive can enhance clarity.

  • The word 'some' is a common partitive in English grammar.

  • Certain languages mark the partitive case with specific endings or particles.

  • What is a partitive?

  • In the sentence 'I would like some cake,' the word some is a partitive that indicates a portion of the whole cake.

  • When she received less of the budget, she noticed that the word less served as a partitive to describe her share.

  • The teacher explained that in English, words like some and none are partitives that refer to portions of a larger quantity.

Antonyms

all
∞ 1.0

Everything in a group or the whole amount of something

whole
484 1.0

All of something seen as one unit

How Much

most
1.0
many
9 1.0
partitive
  • Specialized
8.9
some
∞ 1.0
a little
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

partitive singular
partitives plural

Etymology

Partitive comes from the same root part meaning 'part' or 'share', and as a noun it names a word that shows a piece or portion, like 'some' in 'some of the cake'. So a partitive points to only part of something.