vocative

English

Etymology

From Late Middle English [Term?], borrowed from Middle French vocatif, from Latin vocātīvus (“for calling”); a calque of Ancient Greek κλητῐκή (klētĭkḗ, “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)

• (Dublin) IPA^(key): /ˈvakətɪv/

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 the case or form of the noun, pronoun, or adjective by which a person or thing is addressed.

   In English, the vocative may be indicated by an addressee–address separation comma, or by the particle O, as in "What is the matter, sir?", "Mother, listen!", or "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. (grammar) A vocative expression
4. (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

a vocative expression

• French: apostrophe (fr) f

See also

• interjection
• Fiction essentials: vocative expressions, Black Cat Editorial Services

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