vocative

English

Etymology

From Late Middle English [Term?], borrowed from Middle French vocatif, from Latin vocātīvus (“for calling”); a calque of Ancient Greek κλητῐκή (klētikḗ, “for calling; vocative case”) – from vocāre (“to call”), from Proto-Indo-European *wokʷ-, o-grade of *wekʷ- (“give vocal utterance, speak”). See Latin vōx.

Pronunciation

• (General American) enPR: väk'ətĭv, vōk'ətĭv, IPA^(key): /ˈvɑkətɪv/, /ˈvoʊkətɪv/
• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: vŏk'ətĭv, IPA^(key): /ˈvɒkətɪv/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

vocative (comparative more vocative, superlative most vocative)

1. Of or pertaining to calling; used in calling or vocation.
2. (grammar) Used in address; appellative (said of that case or form of the noun, pronoun, or adjective, in which a person or thing is addressed). For example "Domine, O Lord"

Related terms

• vocal

Translations

of or pertaining to calling

• Finnish: kutsumuksellinen, kutsumus-
• French: vocationnel (fr)
• Georgian: წოდებითი (ka) (c̣odebiti), მოწოდებითი (moc̣odebiti)
• German: aufrufend (de)
• Greek: κλητικός (el) (klitikós)
• Hindi: संबोधित (hi) (sambodhit)
• Japanese: 天職の (ja) (tenshoku no)
• Latin: vocātīvus
• Portuguese: vocativo (pt) m
• Russian: призыва́ющий (ru) (prizyvájuščij), зову́щий (ru) (zovúščij)

grammar: used in address

• Arabic: نِدَاء m (nidāʔ)
• Belarusian: клі́чны (klíčny)
• Bulgarian: зва́телен (zvátelen)
• Catalan: vocatiu (ca)
• Czech: vokativní
• Dutch: vocatief (nl) m
• Esperanto: vokativo (eo)
• Finnish: vokatiivinen
• French: vocatif (fr) m
• Galician: vocativo m
• Georgian: წოდებითი (ka) (c̣odebiti)
• German: vokativ (de)
• Greek: κλητικός (el) (klitikós)

  Ancient: κλητικός (klētikós)

• Hindi: संबोधित (hi) (sambodhit)
• Hungarian: megszólító (hu)
• Irish: gairmeach (ga)
• Japanese: 呼格の (ja) (kokaku no)
• Latin: vocātīvus
• Macedonian: вокатив m (vokativ)
• Polish: wołacz (pl) m
• Portuguese: vocativo (pt)
• Russian: зва́тельный (ru) (zvátelʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: gairmeach
• Serbo-Croatian: vokativan (sh)
• Spanish: vocativo (es)
• Swedish: vokativ (sv)
• Ukrainian: кли́чний (uk) (klýčnyj)
• Welsh: cyfarchol

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} مُنَادَى (munādā), ^{(please verify)} نَدَائِيّ (nadāʔiyy)
• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} roeper (nl) m
• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} של יחסת פנייה f (šel yakhasat peniyah)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} vocativo (it)
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} вокативни, ^{(please verify)} vokativni
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} vokativ (sv)
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} vokatif (tr)

Noun

vocative (plural vocatives)

1. (grammar) The vocative case
2. (grammar) A word in the vocative case
3. (rare) Something said to (or as though to) a particular person or thing; an entreaty, an invocation.
   • 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter L”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson;  […], →OCLC:

     [T]he two latter will hardly come neither, if they think it will be to hear your whining vocatives.

Translations

grammatical case — see vocative case

See also

• interjection

Italian

Adjective

vocative

1. feminine plural of vocativo

Latin

Adjective

vocātīve

1. vocative masculine singular of vocātīvus

References

• “vocative”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• vocative in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Romanian

Noun

vocative n pl

1. plural of vocativ