dative of purpose
The 'dative of purpose' is a grammatical construction primarily found in Latin, where a noun in the dative case indicates the purpose or goal of an action.
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Definition
C1Latin Grammar
(technical, academic)A grammatical construction where a noun in the dative case indicates the purpose or intended use of an action.
Example
- In the phrase 'legati auxilio venerunt,' 'auxilio' is in the dative of purpose, meaning 'for the purpose of help.'
C1Linguistics
(technical, academic)A use of the dative case to express the goal or intended outcome of an action.
Example
- The dative of purpose can be seen in constructions like 'he gave the book for a gift,' where 'for a gift' indicates the intended purpose.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "dative of purpose":