Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

ablative

Syllabification: (ab·la·tive)
Pronunciation: /ˈablətiv/
Translate ablative | into Italian
Definition of ablative

adjective

[attributive]
  • 1 Grammar relating to or denoting a case (especially in Latin) of nouns and pronouns (and words in grammatical agreement with them) indicating separation or an agent, instrument, or location.
  • 2(of surgical treatment) involving ablation.
  • 3of, relating to, or subject to ablation through melting or evaporation:the spacecraft’s ablative heat shield

noun

Grammar
  • a word in the ablative case.
  • (the ablative) the ablative case.

Origin:

late Middle English: from Old French ablative (feminine of ablatif), Latin ablativus, from ablat- 'taken away' (see ablation)

ablative in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of ablative in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite

More words in this category

Oxford Dictionaries Pro

For Oxford's best resources for writers, plus thesaurus, audio, and 1.9m examples.

GET PRO ►

Shop for an Oxford dictionary
Find the perfect Oxford dictionary for you in our online shop.
SHOP NOW ►

Word of the day

monocular

/ məˈnɒkjʊlə /
adjective , noun
with, for, or in one eye …