genitive absolute

English

Etymology

Calque of Latin genitivus absolutus.

Noun

genitive absolute (plural genitives absolute or genitive absolutes)

1. (grammar) an independent phrase in a sentence conveying additional circumstances in the genitive case; present in many Indo-European languages, such as:
   1. in Ancient Greek, more frequent than the accusative absolute and the nominative absolute
   2. in Sanskrit later to the locative absolute
   3. in Avestan
   4. in Armenian
   5. in Tocharian, not so common
   6. in Middle Dutch, early modern Dutch and (vestigially) modern Dutch
   7. rarely in Middle High German

Translations

independent genitive phrase

• Dutch: genitivus absolutus m, absolute genitief (nl) m
• Finnish: absoluuttinen genetiivi
• French: génitif absolu m
• German: Genitivus absolutus m
• Greek: γενική απόλυτη (genikí apólyti)
• Latin: genitivus absolutus
• Portuguese: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: genitivo absoluto
• Swedish: absolut genitiv

Further reading

• Bauer, Brigitte (2000) Archaic Syntax in Indo-European, Berlin, New York: Mouton De Gruyter, →ISBN, pages 261–333