nominative

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English nominatif, also nomenatif,^[2][3] borrowed from Anglo-Norman nominatif and Middle French nominatif, and directly borrowed from Latin nōminātīvus (“pertaining to naming, serving to name”).^[4][3][5] The Middle English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster Unabridged give the Latin alone as the source.^[2][6] The Anglo-Norman word is recorded from 1163–70 in the Anglo-Norman Dictionary,^[7] though the OED dates its grammatical sense to the 13th century.^[4] The Latin adjective, used in the phrase cāsus nōminātīvus,^[3] is formed on the stem of nōminātus, the past participle of nōminō (“to name, call by name”),^[4][3][5] from nōmen (“name”).^[3][8] Its grammatical use follows Ancient Greek ὀνομαστική (onomastikḗ), the naming case.^[4][9] The OED calls the Greek form Hellenistic.^[4] Compare Italian nominativo and Spanish nominativo.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of the case of the subject: before 1387, in Trevisa's translation of Higden, Þat ylond of Ynde hatte Tilis in þe nomenatyf caas.^[2][4] The Latin term itself had already been explained in Old English, in Ælfric's Grammar: nominativvs ys nemniendlic.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The word's root sense of naming stayed in the grammatical term: Johnson (1755) defines the nominative as the case that "primarily designates the name of any thing", set against the oblique cases.^[10] It was soon a noun as well, about 1400 for the case and about 1450 for a word in that case,^[4] where Etymonline has the much later 1610s and 1660s.^[3] Other senses go back to the Latin verb and its naming: "nominated, appointed by nomination" (1660),^[4][11][8] "of the giving of names", rare (1844),^[4][11] and "bearing the name of a person" (1872), a use already found in post-classical Latin in the early 12th century.^[4][8] Modern grammar added the nominative absolute (1843) and the term for languages that treat the subjects of transitive and intransitive verbs alike (1969).^[4] Nominative determinism, the humorous idea that a person's name shapes their choice of job or interests, dates from 1994, in New Scientist.^[4]

Timeline

• before 1387 – adjective, of the case of the subject of a verb.^[4][2]
• c. 1400 – noun, the nominative case.^[4] Etymonline dates it to the 1610s.^[3]
• c. 1450 – noun, a word in the nominative case.^[4] Etymonline dates it to the 1660s.^[3]
• 1660 – nominated, appointed by nomination.^[4]
• 1808 – of the nature of a nominative.^[4]
• 1843 – nominative absolute.^[4]
• 1844 – of the giving of names (rare).^[4]
• 1872 – bearing the name of a person or people.^[4]
• 1969 – of a language that treats the subjects of transitive and intransitive verbs alike.^[4]
• 1994 – nominative determinism.^[4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. In grammar, marking a noun, pronoun or adjective as the subject of a verb, especially in an inflected language; of or relating to that case.^[8][6][4]
2. Appointed by nomination rather than elected.^[8][6][4]
3. Bearing the name of a person.^[8][6][4]
4. (rare) Of or relating to the giving of names.^[4][11]

Noun

1. The nominative case of a language.^[8][6][4]
2. A word or form in the nominative case.^[8][6][4]
3. nominative absolute: a construction in which a noun or pronoun followed by an adjunct forms an adverbial phrase.^[4][11]
4. nominative determinism: the humorous theory that one's name influences one's occupation or interests.^[4]

Word family

• nominatively
• nominative absolute
• nominatival
• nominative determinism

Related words

• name
• nominate
• nominal
• noun
• onomastic

Usage notes

In the sense "appointed by nomination", the Shorter Oxford gives the last part as /-eɪtɪv/.^[11] The OED records a form without the middle vowel, /ˈnɒmn̩ətɪv/, beside /ˈnɒm(ᵻ)nətɪv/.^[4]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
6. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
8. ^ a b c d e f g h Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
9. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
11. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press