Genitival

/dʒɛˈnɪtɪvəl/ adjective

Definition

Relating to or of the nature of the genitive case in grammar, which shows possession or relationship between nouns.

Etymology

From 'genitive' (from Latin 'genitivus', meaning 'of generation or possession') + '-al' (relating to). The genitive case was named because it shows what something generates or produces.

Kelly Says

The genitive case survives in English mostly in possessives like 'John's book'—Romance languages preserved it far better, but languages constantly drop grammatical cases over time, so English is just following a natural pattern.

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