/ ˈæblətɪv; NAmE / noun
( grammar ) ( in some languages ) the form that a noun, a pronoun or an adjective can take to show, for example, who or what sth is done by or where sth comes from
—compare accusative , dative , genitive , nominative , vocative
► ab·la·tive adjective
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French ablative (feminine of ablatif ), Latin ablativus , from ablat- taken away, from ab- away + lat- carried (from the verb ferre ).