Ergative

The term ergative is used in grammar in three different meanings:

  • Ergative case, the grammatical case of the subject of a transitive verb in an ergative-absolutive language
  • Ergative–absolutive language, a language in which the subject of an intransitive verb behaves like the object of a transitive verb
  • Ergative verb, a verb whose subject when intransitive corresponds to its direct object when transitive