locative

9.9

A word form in a language that shows where something is or happens

noun
/ˈloʊkətɪv/

Specialized

: locativo

In linguistics, the locative case indicates the location where an action takes place.

Examples

Anyway, so you have these these multiple hours spans, but this the quilts also have a really strongly locative quality to them.
In the far north, the royal family, along with the local people, called themselves Antankarana, a locative for People of the Rocks, referring to the Ankarana limestone massif, which is now a nationally protected area.

Academic text (1997)
The word 'in' is often used to illustrate locative roles in sentence structure.
Understanding the locative form can help learners grasp how different languages express location.

Synonyms

locative case

vslocative

Specialized

9.9

A word form that shows where something is or happens

includes both the formal case and the broader role showing place

locative role

vslocative

Specialized

9.7

The part of a sentence that shows where something happens

refers more generally to either the case or this semantic role indicating place

Compounds

locative case

Specialized

9.9

A word form that shows where something is or happens

locative role

Specialized

9.7

The part of a sentence that shows where something happens

Surface Forms

locative singular

locatives plural

Morphology

locative = locate + location (transparent) = locate + ive

The meaning 'relating to place' is directly derived from the base 'locate'/'location' with the productive adjectival suffix '-ive', so learners can infer the sense.

Etymology

Locative comes from the Latin root loc-, meaning 'place', and you can see the same root in location and locate. So, locative is the grammatical form that shows the 'place' or 'where' something happens.