Allative

/ˈæləɪv/ noun

Definition

A grammatical case in some languages (like Finnish) that shows movement toward something, like 'to the house' or 'into the room.'

Etymology

From Latin 'allatus' (carried to) plus the grammatical suffix '-ive.' Coined by linguists studying Finnish and other Uralic languages in the 1800s.

Kelly Says

English doesn't have this case, but Finnish does—showing how different languages encode direction and movement in totally different ways!

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