cognate accusative

plural cognate accusatives · alternative accusative cognate · alternative abbreviation acc. cogn. · alternative abbreviation cogn. acc.

1. grammarAn object of kindred sense or derivation; specifically, that which may adverbially follow an intransitive verb (for example, the word death in “to die the death”).

   These accusatives cognate are to be translated into English.

   1856, John Day Collis, “Division III. Exercises on the Commonest Rules of Greek Syntax.”, in Praxis Græca. A Series of Elementary, Progressive, and Miscellaneous Questions and Exercises on Greek Grammar, part II (Syntax), London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts, →OCLC, exercise LXXVIII, paragraph 11, page 214

   2 more examples

   The extent of action of the verb may be expressed by a substantive of the same meaning as the verb, accompanied (usually) by an oblique adjectival predicate. (Cognate accusative.)

   1874, Henry John Roby, “Use of the Accusative Case”, in A Grammar of the Latin Language from Plautus to Suetonius … In Two Parts, part II (Containing Book IV. Syntax. Also Prepositions &c.), London: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC, paragraph 1100, page 40

   What is often termed the cognate accusative (or objective) (as in ‘to run a race,’ ‘to die a happy death’) should more properly be classed among the adverbial adjuncts. [Footnote: The cognate objective sometimes appears in a metaphorical shape, as in “to look daggers at a person”; “To rain fire and brimstone.” The vague pronoun it is freely used in this construction, as, “We shall have to rough it”; “Go it, boys,” &c.]

   1876, C[harles] P[eter] Mason, “Syntax”, in English Grammar Including the Principles of Grammatical Analysis, 21st edition, London: George Bell & Sons, →OCLC; 21st Canadian copyright edition, Toronto, Ont.: Adam Miller & Co., 1877, →OCLC, section 372, subsection 4, page 148

   Synonyms: cognate object