ablative absolute

US/ˈæb.lə.tɪv æb.soʊˈlut/Canada/ˈæb.lə.tɪv æb.səˈlut/

noun

A construction in Latin and other sister languages in which an independent phrase with a noun in the ablative case has a participle, adjective, or noun, expressed or implied, which agrees with it in gender, number and case – both words forming a clause grammatically unconnected with the rest of the sentence.

OriginLatin ablativus absolutus →
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Meanings

nounablative absolute (plural ablatives absolute or ablative absolutes)

plural ablatives absolute · plural ablative absolutes

  1. grammarA construction in Latin and other sister languages in which an independent phrase with a noun in the ablative case has a participle, adjective, or noun, expressed or implied, which agrees with it in gender, number and case – both words forming a clause grammatically unconnected with the rest of the sentence.

Origin

  1. Latinablativus absolutus
  2. Englishablative absolute

Calque of Latin ablativus absolutus.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch losse ablatief
  • losse ablatieflinguistic construction in Latin
Esperanto ablativo absoluta
  • ablativo absolutalinguistic construction in Latin
Finnish ablatiivinen absoluutti
  • ablatiivinen absoluuttilinguistic construction in Latin
French ablatif absolu
  • ablatif absolulinguistic construction in Latin
German Ablativus absolutus
  • Ablativus absolutuslinguistic construction in Latin
Hungarian ablativus absolutus
  • ablativus absolutuslinguistic construction in Latin
Italian ablativo assoluto
  • ablativo assolutolinguistic construction in Latin
Polish ablatyw niezależny, ablativus absolutus
  • ablatyw niezależnylinguistic construction in Latin
  • ablativus absolutuslinguistic construction in Latin
Portuguese ablativo absoluto
  • ablativo absolutolinguistic construction in Latin
Romanian ablativ absolut
  • ablativ absolutlinguistic construction in Latin
Spanish ablativo absoluto
  • ablativo absolutolinguistic construction in Latin
Cite this entry
APA

ablative absolute. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ablative%20absolute

MLA

“ablative absolute.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ablative%20absolute. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ablative absolute,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ablative%20absolute.

Source: ablative absolute on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.