ergative

er·ga·tive

adj \ˈər-gə-tiv\

Definition of ERGATIVE

: of, relating to, or being a language (as Inuit or Georgian) in which the objects of transitive verbs and subjects of intransitive verbs are typically marked by the same linguistic forms; also : being an inflectional morpheme that typically marks the subject of a transitive verb in an ergative language

Origin of ERGATIVE

Greek ergatēs worker, from ergon work

First Known Use: 1939

Rhymes with ERGATIVE

purgative