The adjective is derived from Late Middle English genetif (“pertaining to the genitive case; pertaining to the generation of offspring”)^[1] + English -ive (suffix meaning ‘relating or belonging to’ forming adjectives). Genetif is from Anglo-Norman genetif, genitif, and Middle French genetif, genitif (“pertaining to the generation of offspring, procreative; (grammar) pertaining to the genitive case”) (modern French génitif), and from their etymon Latin genetīvus (“pertaining to the generation of offspring; (grammar) pertaining to the genitive case”) (whence Late Latin genitivus), from genitus (“begotten, engendered; produced”) + -īvus (suffix meaning ‘doing’ or ‘related to doing’ forming adjectives).^[2] Genitus is the perfect passive participle of gignō (“to beget, give birth to; to produce, yield”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget, give birth; to produce”).

Latin genetīvus cāsus (or cāsus genetīvus, cāsus genitīvus (literally “grammatical case pertaining to birth or origin”)), was used to translate Koine Greek γενῐκή πτῶσις (genĭkḗ ptôsis, literally “inflection expressing a genus or kind”) which actually means “generic case”, though it refers to what is now called the genitive case.^[2]

The noun is derived from Late Middle English genetif (“genitive case”),^[1] from the adjective (see above). Compare Middle French genitif (modern French génitif) and Latin genetīvus (short for genetīvus cāsus (“genitive case”)).^[2]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛnɪtɪv/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) enPR: jĕ'nətĭv, IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛnətɪv/
• Hyphenation: gen‧it‧ive

genitive (not comparable)

1. (archaic) Of or pertaining to the generation of offspring; generative, procreative, reproductive.

   Synonym: progenitive

2. (grammar)
   1. Of a grammatical case: in an inflected language (such as Greek or Latin), expressing that a thing denoted by a word is related to a thing denoted by another word as its origin or possessor; and in an uninflected language (such as English), expressing origin or possession; possessive.

      Coordinate terms: comitative, proprietive

      dependent genitive

      independent genitive

      The student who had taken a German exam realised his error afterwards. He had used the dative case instead of the genitive case to show possession.

      • 1562, Wylliam Turner [i.e., William Turner], “Of the Herbe Called in Latin Irio”, in The Second Parte of Guilliam Turners Herball⸝ […], Cologne: […] Arnold Birckman, →OCLC, folio 23, recto:

        [T]he poticaries and barbarus wryters call it [the iris] Irios in the genetiue caſe.

      • 1669, J[ohn] M[ilton], “Of Nouns”, in Accedence Commenc’t Grammar, […], to Attain the Latin Tongue; […], London: […] S[amuel] Simmons, […], →OCLC, page 5:

        Nouns Subſtantive have five Declenſions or forms of ending thir Caſes, chiefly diſtinguiſht by the different ending of thir Genitive Singular. […] The firſt [declension] is vvhen the Genitive and Dative ſingular end in æ, &c., […]

      • 2024, Geoffrey K. Pullum, The Truth About English Grammar, Polity Press, →ISBN, pages 38-39:

        Two kinds of genitive: All nouns have a genitive form, but pronouns have two of them. The dependent genitive form is used before a head noun, and the independent genitive form (usually distinct) is used on its own but with a genitive-related meaning. […] my painting, where my is the dependent genitive of I, but That painting is mine, where mine is the independent genitive […]

      • 2024 October 7, Philip Oltermann, “Germans decry influence of English as ‘idiot’s apostrophe’ gets official approval”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎^[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 9 October 2024:

        Establishments that feature their owners' names, with signs like "Rosi's Bar" or "Kati's Kiosk" are a common sight around German towns and cities, but strictly speaking they are wrong: unlike English, German does not traditionally use apostrophes to indicate the genitive case or possession.

   2. Of, pertaining to, or used in the genitive case.

• genetive (archaic)

• genital
• progenitive
• progeny

genitive (countable and uncountable, plural genitives) (grammar)

1. (countable, uncountable) Ellipsis of genitive case (“a grammatical case used to express a relationship of origin or possession”).
   • 1669, J[ohn] M[ilton], “Of Cases”, in Accedence Commenc’t Grammar, […], to Attain the Latin Tongue; […], London: […] S[amuel] Simmons, […], →OCLC, page 3:

     Nounes, Pronounes, and Participles are declin'd vvith ſix Endings, vvhich are called Caſes, both in the Singular and Plural Number. The Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Accuſative, Vocative, and Ablative. […] The Genitive is Engliſht vvith this Sign of, as Libri of a Book.

2. (countable) A word inflected in the genitive case, and which thus indicates origin or possession.
   • 1669, J[ohn] M[ilton], “Of Nouns”, in Accedence Commenc’t Grammar, […], to Attain the Latin Tongue; […], London: […] S[amuel] Simmons, […], →OCLC, page 5:

     This one vvord familia joyn'd vvith pater, mater, filius, or filia, endeth the Genitive in as, as pater familias, but ſomtimes familiæ.

   • 1894, Adolf Erman, “Nouns”, in James Henry Breasted, transl., Egyptian Grammar […], London; Edinburgh: Williams and Norgate, […], →OCLC, § 122*, page 49:

     This older kind of genetive [i.e., the direct genetive] is apparently expressed only by the position of the two substantives, in which the governing word stands before the governed: pr i̓mn "House of Amon."

• genetive (archaic)

• genitive case on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• genitive construction on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ɡɛ.nɪˈtiː.wɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [d͡ʒe.niˈtiː.ve]

genitīve

1. vocative masculine singular of genitīvus

genitive

1. plural of genitiv