Definition of ethical dative
: a colloquial use of the dative of a pronoun for a person to whom it imputes a vague concern with the matter in question (such as German mir, literally “for me,” in bleibe mir nur gesund, “I just hope you stay well”)
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“Ethical dative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethical%20dative. Accessed 10 Aug. 2022.
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Time Traveler for ethical dative
The first known use of ethical dative was in 1849
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