Definition of "dative" [da•tive]

• Of, relating to, or being the grammatical case that marks the recipient of action, that often indicates the indirect object of the verb, and that can be used with prepositions or other function words corresponding in meaning to English to and for. (adjective)
• The dative case. (noun)
• A word or form in the dative case. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It derives from omnibus, which is the dative plural of the Latin word omnis, so it means 'for all' - a 'vehicle for all'."
• "The word "ge" (or "ye" or however it was written centuries ago) is related to the Italian dative (indirect object) pronoun "glie" which is used similarly before other pronouns, both words apparently coming from the Latin dative pronoun ILLI."
• "This construction is sometimes called the dative of separation."