infinitive
Syllabification: (in·fin·i·tive)
Pronunciation: /inˈfinitiv/
Translate infinitive | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
‘to’ plus the verb stem:
Definition of infinitive
noun
adjective
Derivatives
Origin:
late Middle English (as an adjective): from Latin infinitivus, from infinitus (see infinite). The noun dates from the mid 16th century
Grammar
A form of the verb. In the verb phrase, the infinitive has two forms: the verb stem. This form of the infinitive is used after modal auxiliary verbs such as must and should:
| Life | must | go | on. |
| modal auxiliary | infinitive |
| I | would | like | to meet | these people. |
| verb | verb | infinitive |
