Definition

1. Noun:
   • A grammatical property: In linguistics, "transitivity" refers to the grammatical property of a verb that requires a direct object to complete its meaning. It describes the relationship between a verb and its objects.
   • A logical/mathematical property: In logic and mathematics, "transitivity" is a property of a relation. A relation R is transitive if, whenever element A is related to B, and B is related to C, then A is necessarily related to C.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Linguistics):
  • The transitivity of the verb 'to eat' is clear because it requires a direct object, as in 'She eats an apple.'
  • Understanding verb transitivity is essential for constructing correct sentences in English.
• Noun (Logic/Mathematics):
  • The 'greater than' relation exhibits transitivity: if A > B and B > C, then A > C.
  • Transitivity is a fundamental property used to define equivalence relations.

Advanced Usage

• Degree of Transitivity: In some linguistic frameworks, transitivity is viewed as a gradient or continuum rather than a strict binary category (transitive vs. intransitive). A clause can be analyzed as having a higher or lower degree of transitivity based on factors like the number of participants and the potency of the action.
  • The sentence 'He destroyed the city' demonstrates a higher degree of transitivity than 'He likes music.'
• Transitivity Hypothesis: This is a concept in linguistics suggesting that highly transitive clauses correlate with specific semantic features, such as a volitional agent and a totally affected patient.

Variants and Related Words

• Transitive (adj): Describing a verb that takes a direct object, or a relation that has the property of transitivity.
  • 'Build' is a transitive verb.
  • Equality is a transitive relation.
• Intransitivity (n): The grammatical property of a verb that does not take a direct object.
  • The intransitivity of the verb 'to sleep' is shown in the sentence 'The baby sleeps.'
• Ditransitivity (n): The property of a verb that takes two objects, typically a direct and an indirect object.
  • The verb 'to give' exhibits ditransitivity, as in 'She gave him a book.'

Synonyms

• Grammatical sense: (No direct single-word synonym; described as "object-taking property").
• Logical sense: Transitive property.

Related Phrases

• Transitive verb: A verb that requires a direct object.
  • In the dictionary, transitive verbs are often labeled 'v.t.'
• Transitive relation: A relation that obeys the rule of transitivity.
  • 'Is an ancestor of' is a transitive relation.

Related Idioms

(This term is highly technical and is not typically used in idiomatic expressions.)

Noun

1. the grammatical relation created by a transitive verb
2. (logic and mathematics) a relation between three elements such that if it holds between the first and second and it also holds between the second and third it must necessarily hold between the first and third