Etymograph

English

nominatival

Nominatival comes from Latin nōminō ‘to nominate for office’, from Proto-Italic *nōmn̥ ‘name’, and ultimately from Hittite ḫannaⁱ- ‘to sue, judge’.

  1. Hittitemodernḫannaⁱ-1transliteratedcuneiform ḫannaⁱ-, a transliteration; the original signs are in Wiktionary‘to sue, judge’
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁nómn̥2‘name’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*nōmn̥2‘name’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōmen2
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōminō2‘to nominate for office’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōminātīvus2
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nominatyf2
  8. English1500–presentnominative2
  9. Englishtodaynominatival2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₁nómn̥
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English nominatival

Lineage

  1. Hittitemodernḫannaⁱ-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₁nómn̥transliteratedcuneiform ḫannaⁱ-, a transliteration; the original signs are in Wiktionary‘to sue, judge’
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁nómn̥Wiktionary, English nominatival‘name’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*nōmn̥Wiktionary, English nominatival‘name’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōmenWiktionary, English nominatival
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōminōWiktionary, English nominatival‘to nominate for office’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōminātīvusWiktionary, English nominatival
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nominatyfWiktionary, English nominatival
  8. English1500–presentnominativeWiktionary, English nominatival
  9. EnglishtodaynominativalWiktionary, English nominatival

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁nómn̥ ‘name’

name, anonymity, pseudonym, 34 more

through Latin nōmen

noun, renown, nomen, ignominious, ignominy, 22 more

through Latin nōminō ‘to nominate for office’

misnomer, 11 more

through Latin nōminātīvus

allocate, 3 more

Today it means

adj Of or pertaining to the nominative case; nominative

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “nominatival”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Proto-Indo-European *h₁nómn̥. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Hittite ḫannaⁱ- / nominatival

Shirt and support for this word