The term ergative is used in
grammar
In linguistics, the grammar of a natural language is its set of structure, structural constraints on speakers' or writers' composition of clause (linguistics), clauses, phrases, and words. The term can also refer to the study of such constraint ...
in three different meanings:
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Ergative case
In grammar, the ergative case (abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that identifies the noun as the agent of a transitive verb in ergative–absolutive languages.
Characteristics
In such languages, the ergative case is typically marked (most ...
, the grammatical case of the subject of a transitive verb in an ergative-absolutive language
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Ergative–absolutive language, a language in which the subject of an intransitive verb behaves like the object of a transitive verb
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Ergative verb
In general linguistics, a labile verb (or ergative verb) is a verb that undergoes causative alternation; it can be used both transitively and intransitively, with the requirement that the direct object of its transitive use corresponds to the s ...
, a verb whose subject when intransitive corresponds to its direct object when transitive
{{Disambiguation