# vocative

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈvɑkətɪv/

## Definitions
1. Of or pertaining to calling; used in calling or vocation.
2. Used in address; appellative; said of the case or form of the noun, pronoun, or adjective by which a person or thing is addressed.

## Etymology
From Late Middle English [Term?], borrowed from Middle French vocatif, from Latin vocātīvus (“for calling”); a calque of Ancient Greek κλητῐκή (klētĭkḗ, “for calling; vocative case”) – from vocāre (“to call”), from Proto-Indo-European *wokʷ-, o-grade of *wekʷ- (“give vocal utterance, speak”). See Latin vōx.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/vocative