Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Describing a word, phrase, or grammatical construction that is in the genitive (possessive) case and functions to modify a noun directly, acting like an attributive adjective. It indicates a relationship of possession, origin, or association between the genitive noun and the noun it modifies.

2. Noun:

   • A word or phrase in the genitive case that is used as an attributive adjective to modify another noun.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • In the phrase "the company's profits," the word "company's" is an attributive genitive construction.
  • The attributive genitive case is common in English to show ownership.

• Noun:

  • In "my sister's car," the word "sister's" is an attributive genitive.
  • The phrase "a week's vacation" contains the attributive genitive "week's."

Advanced Usage

• The attributive genitive is distinct from the predicative genitive. The attributive genitive directly precedes and modifies the noun (e.g., ""), while a predicative genitive follows a linking verb (e.g., "").
• It can express relationships beyond strict possession, such as:
  • Subject: the student's application (the student applied).
  • Object: the city's destruction (the city was destroyed).
  • Origin: Shakespeare's plays.
  • Measure: an hour's delay.

Variants and Related Words

• Genitive Case (n): The grammatical case that typically denotes possession or a close relationship. The attributive genitive is a primary use of this case in English.
• Saxon Genitive (n): Another term for the English possessive construction (e.g., ), which is a common form of the attributive genitive.
• Possessive Adjective (n): Words like . While they indicate possession and modify nouns, they are distinct from the noun-based attributive genitive (e.g., ).

Synonyms

• Adjective/Phrase: Possessive attributive.
• Noun: Possessive modifier, genitive attribute.

Related Phrases/Constructions

• Double Genitive (or Postgenitive): A construction that combines an attributive genitive with an -phrase, e.g., "." Here, "" is an attributive genitive within the larger -phrase.

Adjective

1. a word in the genitive case used as an attributive adjective
   • an example of the attributive genitive is `John's' in `John's mother'

Noun

1. a word in the genitive case that is used as an attributive adjective
   • an example of the attributive genetive is `John's' in `John's mother'