| 释义 |
voc·a·tive
I. \ˈväkəd.iv, -ətiv\ adjective
Etymology: Middle English vocatif, from Middle French, from Latin vocativus, from vocatus (past participle of vocare to call) + -ivus -ive — more at voice
1.
a. : of, relating to, or being a grammatical case marking the one addressed — used especially in the grammar of languages that have relatively full inflection
< Latin Domine in miserere, Domine “have mercy, O Lord” is in the vocative case >
< a vocative ending >
b. of a word or word group : marking the one addressed even when this relation is not marked by an inflectional element
< mother in “mother, come here”, beautiful in “hello, beautiful”, and my beloved in “be assured, my beloved, that I will come” are vocative expressions >
2. : characterized by fluent address toward others : voluble, garrulous
• voc·a·tive·ly \-əd.ə̇vlē, -ətə̇v-, -li\ adverb
II. noun
(-s)
1. : the vocative case of a language
2. : a form in the vocative case |