ablative case
- noun
- /ˈeɪblətɪv keɪs/
- Specialized
- To show movement away from a location, many languages utilize the ablative case in their grammar.
Examples
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In Latin, the ablative case is often used to express the means by which an action is performed.
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"If I could, Miss Jefferson, just direct your considerable powers to the ablative case, we might do great things."
Fiction book (1995) -
When studying Latin, you will encounter the ablative case frequently in various contexts.
Synonyms
A word form in some languages that shows movement away from a place, origin, or means
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is simply the grammatical label 'case' specified by the modifier 'ablative', so a learner who knows 'ablative' (a case expressing origin, separation, instrument/manner) and 'case' (grammatical category) can derive the meaning directly. This is a compositional, technical noun phrase found across many languages' grammatical terminology, making it immediately interpretable rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
Ablative case comes from the Latin part ab meaning 'away', so imagine someone moving away from a place. That's why it marks 'from' or the way or tool used to do something.