progenitivt

Progenitivt is a term used in some grammatical traditions to describe the genitive, or possessive, case of nouns. It marks a relationship between two nouns, most often indicating possession, but also expressing origin, description, or association. The exact form and use of the progenitive vary by language.

Expressions of the genitive fall into two broad types: morphological and periphrastic. In languages with a morphological genitive, a noun carries a grammatical ending that marks possession or relatedness. In languages with a periphrastic or prepositional genitive, possession is shown with a function word or fixed phrase. English commonly uses a possessive suffix on the possessor (Peter’s book) or an of-phrase (the color of the car).

Function and scope differ by language: some genitives denote immediate possession, others denote part-whole, measurement, or source. Genitive forms may interact with agreement, article usage, or case assignment. The term progenitivt is most often encountered in Scandinavian grammar, where it is used to discuss the genitive system and its variations across languages. See also genitive case, possessive construction.