ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Vocative

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈvɑkətɪv/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Vocative is an adjective meaning Of or pertaining to calling; used in calling or vocation.

Meaning

Of or pertaining to calling; used in calling or vocation.

More Meanings

  1. (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.
  2. (grammar) The vocative case
  3. (grammar) A word in the vocative case
  4. (grammar) A vocative expression
  5. (rare) Something said to (or as though to) a particular person or thing; an entreaty, an invocation.

Example Sentences

[T]he two latter will hardly come neither, if they think it will be to hear your whining vocatives.
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".

Word Forms

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include vocational, vocoidal, voicey, invocational, voicy, vocalistic.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.