infinitiveadj.n.

/ɪnˈfɪnɪtɪv/

Forms: Also Middle English infenitife.

Etymology: < Latin infīnītīvus unlimited, indefinite, infinitive, < in- (in- prefix⁴) + fīnītīvus defining, definite. Compare French infinitif, -ive (14–15th cent.).

A. adj.

1. Grammar. The name of that form of a verb which expresses simply the notion of the verb without predicating it of any subject. Usually classed as a ‘mood’, though strictly a substantive with certain verbal functions, esp. those of governing an object, and being qualified by an adverb.(Called by Quintilian and Priscian infinitus modus, by Diomedes infinitivus ‘because it has not definite persons and numbers, whence it has also been called by some, impersonativus and insignativus’. In the short grammar of Dionysius Thrax ( b.c. 80), it is called ἀπαρέμϕατος, i.e. without modification of sense, unmodified.)In modern English, the infinitive has the simple uninflected form of the verb; agreeing in this respect with the imperative, and (except in the verb be), with the first person singular, and the whole plural, of the present indicative. In Old English, the infinitive had (in the nominative-accusative case) the suffix -an, Middle English -en, -e; it had also a dative form in -anne, Middle English, -enne, -ene, -en, -e. The latter is sometimes fancifully called by modern grammarians, the gerundial or gerundive infinitive, as answering in some of its functions to the Latin gerund or gerundive. (It answers more to the Latin supine.) The Old English nominative-accusative infinitive is the source of the (now less frequent) simple infinitive, as in ‘we saw him come’, ‘they need not come’. The dative-infinitive is formally the source of the infinitive with to, and functionally the origin of this in such uses as ‘he went to see the fight’ (‘infinitive of purpose’), ‘it was easy to see’ (‘adverbial infinitive’); but to is now prefixed also to the nominative-accusative infinitive, where Old English had the simple form in -an, as in ‘to see is to believe’, ‘he likes to see it’. See to prep.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > mood > [adjective] > infinitive

infinitive1520

infinitival1870

infinite1871

1520 R. Whittington Uulgaria sig. A.iv^v Quis qui is..gouerned..somtyme of the infinytyue mode folowynge.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 84 The infinitive mode whiche they use whan we use to put to before a verbe.

1580 C. Hollyband Treasurie French Tong Firste I doe specifie th' Infinitiue mode, Aimer, to loue: Courir, to run.

1668 Bp. J. Wilkins Ess. Real Char. iv. vi. 445 That which is called the Infinitive Mode, should according to the true Analogy of that speech be stiled a Participle Substantive.

1876 C. P. Mason Eng. Gram. (ed. 21) §191 The preposition to is not an essential part of the infinitive mood, nor an invariable sign of it.

1889 W. R. Morfill Gram. Russ. Lang. 37 There are three moods, the infinitive, indicative, and imperative.

1889 W. R. Morfill Gram. Russ. Lang. 39 Each verb has two stems, firstly, the infinitive stem, and, secondly, the present stem.

†2. ? Infinite, endless: in quot. c1470 as adv. Without end, in perpetuity. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > duration > eternity or infinite duration > [adverb]

always fortha700

alwayeOE

oeOE

everOE

buten endea1000

echelichec1175

till doomsdayc1175

to timea1200

perdurablyc1275

in ayea1300

without endc1330

anytimea1375

for ay and oc1374

continually1382

perpetuallyc1385

ay-forthc1390

everlastinglyc1390

perpetualc1392

eternallyc1393

endlessa1400

in (also for, to) perpetuitya1400

always?c1425

without timec1425

endlesslya1450

sempiternlyc1450

infinitivec1470

aylastinglyc1475

everlastingc1475

incessantly1481

in saecula saeculorum1481

sempiternally1509

all days1533

for altogether1542

constantly1567

interminate?1567

incorruptibly1579

perpetuously1612

in perpetuum1613

eternal1614

unterminably1631

unfadinglya1672

unendingly1674

for a constancy1710

perennially1729

tarnally1790

imperishably1795

indefectibly1837

immortally1858

fadelessly1861

c1470 J. Hardyng Chron. cv. 5 To Peter and Pole he graunted infenitife The Roome pence then of all Englande, As Flores saieth, as I can vnderstande.

B. n.

1. Grammar. The infinitive ‘mood’ or form of a verb. cleft or split infinitive, an infinitive with an adverb between to and the verbal part, as in ‘to carefully search’. gerundial infinitive: see under A. 1.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > mood > [noun] > infinitive

infinitive1530

the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > a part of speech > verb > [noun] > infinitive

infinitive1530

supine1830

to-infinitive1946

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement Introd. 31 His preterit participle, and his present infynityve.

1676 tr. G. Guillet de Saint-Georges Acct. Voy. Athens 32 [Lingua franca] an ill favour'd kind of Italian that makes use of the Infinitive of every Verb, to express all the Tenses and Moods.

1751 J. Harris Hermes i. viii. 163 The Latin and modern Grammarians have called Verbs under this Mode, from this their indefinite nature, Infinitives.

1871 H. J. Roby Gram. Lat. Lang. ii. xvi. 183 Two indeclinable substantives, called Infinitives (or the Infinitive Mood).

1871 R. Morris Hist. Outl. Eng. Accidence §290 The infinitive had a dative form expressed by the suffix -e, and governed by the preposition to. This is sometimes called the gerundial infinitive: it is also equivalent to Lat. supines.

1871 R. Morris Hist. Outl. Eng. Accidence §290 The dative infinitive assumed the form of the simple infinitive as early as the twelfth century.

1892 H. Sweet New Eng. Gram. §293 The infinitive, which is a noun-verbal, has nothing in common with the moods of finite verbs.

1893 F. Hall in Nation (N.Y.) 56 274/2 My paper on the cleft infinitive, printed in the American Journal of Philology.

1897 Academy 3 Apr. 371/2 Are our critics aware that Byron is the father of their split infinitive? ‘To slowly trace’, says the noble poet, ‘the forest's shady scene’.

†2. An infinite or endless amount: an infinity.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > existence > state or condition > infiniteness > [noun] > infinity or that which is infinite

infinity1377

infinite1587

infinitive1595

incomprehensibility1610

immensitya1631

infinitude1667

infinitum1682

unmeasured1812

endlessness1820

unconditioned1829

illimitable1884

out and out1890

boundless1909

the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > infinity of amount > an infinite amount

infinityc1480

infinite1563

infinitive1595

no end1623

infinitude1667

1595 G. Markham Most Honorable Trag. Sir R. Grinuile Ded. Earl Sussex Great Lord, to whom infinitiues of fame Flock like night starres about the siluer Moone.

1595 G. Markham Most Honorable Trag. Sir R. Grinuile sig. C Fie, that infinitiues of forces can, Nor may effect what one conceit fulfills.

Compounds

General attributive.

infinitive-adjunct n.

ΚΠ

1957 R. W. Zandvoort Handbk. Eng. Gram. (new ed.) i. i. 9 In the fourth example the infinitive stands in apposition to the noun; in the fifth the infinitive adjunct is semi-adverbial.

infinitive-splitter n.

ΚΠ

1927 Glasgow Herald 1 Nov. 8/7 A competition..to discover the most distinguished infinitive-splitters.

infinitive-splitting n.

ΚΠ

1926 H. W. Fowler Dict. Mod. Eng. Usage 447/1 They were obsessed by fear of infinitive-splitting.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	infinitive
释义	infinitiveadj.n. /ɪnˈfɪnɪtɪv/ Forms: Also Middle English infenitife. Etymology: < Latin infīnītīvus unlimited, indefinite, infinitive, < in- (in- prefix⁴) + fīnītīvus defining, definite. Compare French infinitif, -ive (14–15th cent.). A. adj. 1. Grammar. The name of that form of a verb which expresses simply the notion of the verb without predicating it of any subject. Usually classed as a ‘mood’, though strictly a substantive with certain verbal functions, esp. those of governing an object, and being qualified by an adverb.(Called by Quintilian and Priscian infinitus modus, by Diomedes infinitivus ‘because it has not definite persons and numbers, whence it has also been called by some, impersonativus and insignativus’. In the short grammar of Dionysius Thrax ( b.c. 80), it is called ἀπαρέμϕατος, i.e. without modification of sense, unmodified.)In modern English, the infinitive has the simple uninflected form of the verb; agreeing in this respect with the imperative, and (except in the verb be), with the first person singular, and the whole plural, of the present indicative. In Old English, the infinitive had (in the nominative-accusative case) the suffix -an, Middle English -en, -e; it had also a dative form in -anne, Middle English, -enne, -ene, -en, -e. The latter is sometimes fancifully called by modern grammarians, the gerundial or gerundive infinitive, as answering in some of its functions to the Latin gerund or gerundive. (It answers more to the Latin supine.) The Old English nominative-accusative infinitive is the source of the (now less frequent) simple infinitive, as in ‘we saw him come’, ‘they need not come’. The dative-infinitive is formally the source of the infinitive with to, and functionally the origin of this in such uses as ‘he went to see the fight’ (‘infinitive of purpose’), ‘it was easy to see’ (‘adverbial infinitive’); but to is now prefixed also to the nominative-accusative infinitive, where Old English had the simple form in -an, as in ‘to see is to believe’, ‘he likes to see it’. See to prep. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > mood > [adjective] > infinitive infinitive1520 infinitival1870 infinite1871 1520 R. Whittington Uulgaria sig. A.iv^v Quis qui is..gouerned..somtyme of the infinytyue mode folowynge. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 84 The infinitive mode whiche they use whan we use to put to before a verbe. 1580 C. Hollyband Treasurie French Tong Firste I doe specifie th' Infinitiue mode, Aimer, to loue: Courir, to run. 1668 Bp. J. Wilkins Ess. Real Char. iv. vi. 445 That which is called the Infinitive Mode, should according to the true Analogy of that speech be stiled a Participle Substantive. 1876 C. P. Mason Eng. Gram. (ed. 21) §191 The preposition to is not an essential part of the infinitive mood, nor an invariable sign of it. 1889 W. R. Morfill Gram. Russ. Lang. 37 There are three moods, the infinitive, indicative, and imperative. 1889 W. R. Morfill Gram. Russ. Lang. 39 Each verb has two stems, firstly, the infinitive stem, and, secondly, the present stem. †2. ? Infinite, endless: in quot. c1470 as adv. Without end, in perpetuity. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > time > duration > eternity or infinite duration > [adverb] always fortha700 alwayeOE oeOE everOE buten endea1000 echelichec1175 till doomsdayc1175 to timea1200 perdurablyc1275 in ayea1300 without endc1330 anytimea1375 for ay and oc1374 continually1382 perpetuallyc1385 ay-forthc1390 everlastinglyc1390 perpetualc1392 eternallyc1393 endlessa1400 in (also for, to) perpetuitya1400 always?c1425 without timec1425 endlesslya1450 sempiternlyc1450 infinitivec1470 aylastinglyc1475 everlastingc1475 incessantly1481 in saecula saeculorum1481 sempiternally1509 all days1533 for altogether1542 constantly1567 interminate?1567 incorruptibly1579 perpetuously1612 in perpetuum1613 eternal1614 unterminably1631 unfadinglya1672 unendingly1674 for a constancy1710 perennially1729 tarnally1790 imperishably1795 indefectibly1837 immortally1858 fadelessly1861 c1470 J. Hardyng Chron. cv. 5 To Peter and Pole he graunted infenitife The Roome pence then of all Englande, As Flores saieth, as I can vnderstande. B. n. 1. Grammar. The infinitive ‘mood’ or form of a verb. cleft or split infinitive, an infinitive with an adverb between to and the verbal part, as in ‘to carefully search’. gerundial infinitive: see under A. 1. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > mood > [noun] > infinitive infinitive1530 the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > a part of speech > verb > [noun] > infinitive infinitive1530 supine1830 to-infinitive1946 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement Introd. 31 His preterit participle, and his present infynityve. 1676 tr. G. Guillet de Saint-Georges Acct. Voy. Athens 32 [Lingua franca] an ill favour'd kind of Italian that makes use of the Infinitive of every Verb, to express all the Tenses and Moods. 1751 J. Harris Hermes i. viii. 163 The Latin and modern Grammarians have called Verbs under this Mode, from this their indefinite nature, Infinitives. 1871 H. J. Roby Gram. Lat. Lang. ii. xvi. 183 Two indeclinable substantives, called Infinitives (or the Infinitive Mood). 1871 R. Morris Hist. Outl. Eng. Accidence §290 The infinitive had a dative form expressed by the suffix -e, and governed by the preposition to. This is sometimes called the gerundial infinitive: it is also equivalent to Lat. supines. 1871 R. Morris Hist. Outl. Eng. Accidence §290 The dative infinitive assumed the form of the simple infinitive as early as the twelfth century. 1892 H. Sweet New Eng. Gram. §293 The infinitive, which is a noun-verbal, has nothing in common with the moods of finite verbs. 1893 F. Hall in Nation (N.Y.) 56 274/2 My paper on the cleft infinitive, printed in the American Journal of Philology. 1897 Academy 3 Apr. 371/2 Are our critics aware that Byron is the father of their split infinitive? ‘To slowly trace’, says the noble poet, ‘the forest's shady scene’. †2. An infinite or endless amount: an infinity. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > existence > state or condition > infiniteness > [noun] > infinity or that which is infinite infinity1377 infinite1587 infinitive1595 incomprehensibility1610 immensitya1631 infinitude1667 infinitum1682 unmeasured1812 endlessness1820 unconditioned1829 illimitable1884 out and out1890 boundless1909 the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > infinity of amount > an infinite amount infinityc1480 infinite1563 infinitive1595 no end1623 infinitude1667 1595 G. Markham Most Honorable Trag. Sir R. Grinuile Ded. Earl Sussex Great Lord, to whom infinitiues of fame Flock like night starres about the siluer Moone. 1595 G. Markham Most Honorable Trag. Sir R. Grinuile sig. C Fie, that infinitiues of forces can, Nor may effect what one conceit fulfills. Compounds General attributive. infinitive-adjunct n. ΚΠ 1957 R. W. Zandvoort Handbk. Eng. Gram. (new ed.) i. i. 9 In the fourth example the infinitive stands in apposition to the noun; in the fifth the infinitive adjunct is semi-adverbial. infinitive-splitter n. ΚΠ 1927 Glasgow Herald 1 Nov. 8/7 A competition..to discover the most distinguished infinitive-splitters. infinitive-splitting n. ΚΠ 1926 H. W. Fowler Dict. Mod. Eng. Usage 447/1 They were obsessed by fear of infinitive-splitting. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < adj.n.c1470
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