infinitive

English edit

English Wikipedia has an article on:

infinitive

Etymology edit

From Middle French infinitif, from Late Latin infinitivus (“unlimited, indefinite”), from Latin infinitus (“unlimited, infinite”).

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /ɪnˈfɪnɪtɪv/, /ɪnˈfɪnətɪv/
- Audio (Southern England) (file)

Noun edit

infinitive (plural infinitives)

(grammar) The infinitive mood or mode (a grammatical mood).
- 1847, J. J. P. Le Brethon, L. Sandier, Guide to the French language; especially devised for persons who wish to study that language without the assistance of a teacher. the tenth edition, revised and corrected, London, page 69:
  The MANNERS of acting, in grammar called modes or moods, are four; Infinitive, Imperative, Indicative, Subjunctive or Conjunctive.
- 1857, Henry Tindall, A grammar and vocabulary of the Namaqua-Hottentot language, page 38:
  There are four moods, the Infinitive, Imperative, Indicative, and Subjunctive. [...] the Infinitive is used to express a thing in a general manner.
(grammar) A non-finite verb form considered neutral with respect to inflection; depending on language variously found used with auxiliary verbs, in subordinate clauses, or acting as a gerund, and often as the dictionary form.
(grammar) A verbal noun formed from the infinitive of a verb.

Hypernyms edit

(mood or mode): grammatical mood, mood, mode
(verb (form)): verb
(verbal noun): verbal

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

a mood or mode of verbs

Albanian: paskajore (sq) f
Azerbaijani: məsdər (az)
Czech: neurčitý způsob m
Dutch: infinitief (nl) m, onbepaalde wijs (nl) m
Esperanto: infinitivo (eo)
Galician: infinitivo (gl) m
German: Infinitiv (de) m
Greek:
Ancient: ἀπαρέμφατος f (aparémphatos)
Hebrew: שֵׁם פֹּעַל m (shem pó‘al), מָקוֹר (he) m (makór)
Icelandic: nafnháttur (is) m
Latin: infinitivus m, modus infinitivus m, modus perpetuus m
Norwegian:
Bokmål: please add this translation if you can
Serbo-Croatian: infinitiv (sh)
Swedish: infinitiv (sv) m, obestämmt sätt
Tagalog: pawatas, panaganong pawatas
Welsh: modd annherfynol m, annherfynol (cy) m

uninflected verb form

Afrikaans: infinitief (af)
Albanian: paskajore (sq) f
Arabic: مَصْدَر (ar) m (maṣdar) (verbal noun)
Armenian: անորոշ դերբայ (hy) (anoroš derbay)
Asturian: infinitivu m
Belarusian: інфініты́ў m (infinitýŭ), нявызна́чаная фо́рма f (njavyznáčanaja fórma) (дзеясло́ва)
Bulgarian: инфинити́в m (infinitív), неопределе́на фо́рма f (neopredeléna fórma) (на глаго́ла)
Catalan: infinitiu (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 不定詞／不定词 (bùdìngcí)
Czech: infinitiv (cs) m inan, neurčitek (cs) m inan
Danish: infinitiv (da)
Esperanto: infinitivo (eo)
Estonian: tegevusnimi, infinitiiv (et)
Faroese: navnháttur m
Finnish: infinitiivi (fi)
French: infinitif (fr) m
Galician: infinitivo (gl) m
Georgian: ინფინიტივი (inpiniṭivi)
German: Infinitiv (de) n or m
Greek: απαρέμφατο (el) n (aparémfato)
Ancient: ἀπαρέμφατος f (aparémphatos)
Hebrew: שֵׁם פֹּעַל m (shem-pó'al)
Hungarian: főnévi igenév (hu)
Icelandic: nafnháttur (is) m
Ido: infinitivo (io)
Italian: infinito (it) m
Japanese: 不定詞 (ja) (ふていし, futeishi)
Kazakh: инфинитив (infinitiv)
Korean: 부정사(不定詞) (ko) (bujeongsa)
Latin: aparemphatum n
Latvian: nenoteiksme (lv) f
Lithuanian: bendratis (lt) f
Macedonian: и́нфинитив m (ínfinitiv)
Navajo: bee áhodoonííł saad
Norman: înfinnitif m
Norwegian:
Bokmål: infinitiv m
Persian: مصدر (fa) (masdar)
Polish: bezokolicznik (pl) m inan, infinitiwus m
Portuguese: infinitivo (pt) m, infinito (pt) m
Romanian: infinitiv (ro) n
Russian: неопределённая фо́рма f (neopredeljónnaja fórma) (глаго́ла), инфинити́в (ru) m (infinitív)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: инфинитив m

Roman: infinitiv (sh) m
Slovak: neurčitok m inan, infinitív m inan
Slovene: nedoločnik (sl) m, ínfinitiv m
Spanish: infinitivo (es) m
Tagalog: pawatas
Turkish: mastar (tr), eylemlik (tr), isim-fiil (tr)
Ukrainian: інфініти́в m (infinitýv), дієйме́нник m (dijejménnyk), невизна́чена фо́рма f (nevyznáčena fórma) (дієсло́ва)
Vietnamese: lối vô định
Welsh: berf annherfynol m
Yiddish: אינפֿיניטיוו m (infinitiv)

Adjective edit

infinitive (not comparable)

(grammar) Formed with the infinitive.
- 1847, J. J. P. Le Brethon, L. Sandier, Guide to the French language; especially devised for persons who wish to study that language without the assistance of a teacher. the tenth edition, revised and corrected, London, page 70:
  INFINITIVE MOOD or MANNER.
  To Have, Avoir.
- 1858, C. P. Mason, English grammar; including the principles of grammatical analysis, London, page 32:
  In English there are four moods:–1. The Infinitive Mood. 2. The Indicative Mood. 3. the Imperative Mood. 4. The Subjunctive Mood.
Unlimited; not bounded or restricted; undefined.
- a. 1823, Cunningham's Sermons (quoted in 1823, The Edinburgh Christian Instructor, volume 23, page 328)
  […] to search out in some higher region of infinitive space a spot where it was impossible for defilement to follow them […]