elative

Elative is a grammatical case used in certain languages to express source or origin. It marks the starting point of movement or the source from which something comes, roughly corresponding to English from or out of. In languages with a full set of locative cases, the elative is typically distinguished from other directional cases such as the illative (into) and the inessive (in or inside). In typology, elative is often treated as a counterpart to the ablative.

In Finnish, the elative is realized with the suffix -sta or -stä, as in talosta meaning from the house. In Estonian, the elative uses the suffix -st, as in majast meaning from the house. These examples illustrate how the elative attaches to a noun to indicate origin or source.

Not all languages have a dedicated elative case. Some rely on postpositions or prepositions to express the same idea; for instance, English uses from or out of, and some languages use an ablative form rather than a separate elative in their case system. In others, the function may be expressed by a broader set of locative or directional markers.

Beyond concrete locations, elative can convey more abstract origins, such as starting points in processes or causes, depending on the language. The exact form, usage, and scope of the elative vary across languages, but its central function remains the expression of source or origin.