Adjektivem

Adjektivem is a grammatical term used in discussions of languages that borrow Latin-based terminology for parts of speech, most notably in Czech-language grammar descriptions. It refers to the instrumental singular form of the neuter noun adjektivum, which means “an adjective.” In these traditions, adjektivum is used as a meta-term to denote the word class of adjectives rather than any particular adjective.

In practice, adjektivum functions as the label for the category of adjectives, while adjektivem appears as a specific inflected form when the noun is in the instrumental case. The instrumental case is one of several grammatical cases used in languages with rich inflection to indicate means, manner, or instrument. The exact ending and usage of adjektivem can vary between languages and spelling traditions that adopt the Latin-based terminology; Czech grammars, for example, show adjektivum with an instrumental form adjektivem as part of their noun-phrase paradigms.

Etymology-wise, adjektivum comes from Latin adjectivum, a root that has influenced many European grammars to designate the category of adjectives. In English-language linguistics, the same concept is typically described using the term “the adjective” or “adjectival” rather than focusing on the instrumental form of the noun.

Overall, adjektivem serves as a historical and technical label within certain grammatical descriptions for the instrumental form of the noun that means “adjective.” Its usage highlights how languages adapt Latin-derived terminology to discuss word classes and their morphosyntactic forms.

See also: adjective, adjective nominalization, Czech grammar, instrumental case, adjektívum.