singulative

adj, noun — 2 senses

singulative

adj

Etymology From French singulatif, from Latin singillatim (“singly", "one by one”), from singulus (“single", "separate”), from Proto-Italic *sem-g-lo-, a diminutive form derived from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one, together”).

1

Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences Of or pertaining to a grammatical form or construction that expresses the individuation of a single referent from a mass noun.

  • English doesn't have a singulative number in general, but many uncountable nouns have usual singulative constructions.
Derived terms
singulatively

singulative

noun

Etymology From French singulatif, from Latin singillatim (“singly", "one by one”), from singulus (“single", "separate”), from Proto-Italic *sem-g-lo-, a diminutive form derived from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one, together”).

1

Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences A singulative form or construction.

  • The singulative of "cattle" is "a head of cattle".
  • The singulative of "scissors" is "a pair of scissors".
Related terms
singular, collective noun, dual, mass noun, paucal, plural, trial

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.