infinitive

[in-fin-i-tiv] /ɪnˈfɪn ɪ tɪv/
noun
1.
a verb form found in many languages that functions as a noun or is used with auxiliary verbs, and that names the action or state without specifying the subject, as French venir “to come,” Latin esse “to be,” fuisse “to have been.”.
2.
(in English) the simple or basic form of the verb, as come, take, eat, be, used after auxiliary verbs, as in I didn't come, He must be, or this simple form preceded by a function word, as to in I want to eat.
adjective
3.
consisting of or containing an infinitive:
an infinitive construction.
Abbreviation: infin.
Origin
1425-75; late Middle English < Late Latin infīnītīvus indefinite, equivalent to in- in-3 + fīnītīvus definite; see finite, -ive
Related forms
infinitively, adverb
Examples from the web for infinitive
  • All three authorities concluded that where the infinitive is concerned, sense and readability should rule.
  • Rarely does anyone object to a speaker's avoidance of the split infinitive.
  • Only the cultural elite goes out of its way to avoid inserting an adverb between the leaves of an infinitive.
  • Claim is not followed by an infinitive except when the subject of claim is also that of the infinitive.
  • Note that the next verb after do has to be an infinitive, not a tensed verb or a participle.
  • Each is a sequence of noun-copula-adjective-infinitive verb.
  • The split infinitive offends many readers, so avoid it if you can.
British Dictionary definitions for infinitive

infinitive

/ɪnˈfɪnɪtɪv/
noun (grammar)
1.
a form of the verb not inflected for grammatical categories such as tense and person and used without an overt subject. In English, the infinitive usually consists of the word to followed by the verb
Derived Forms
infinitival (ˌɪnfɪnɪˈtaɪvəl) adjective
infinitively, infinitivally, adverb
Word Origin and History for infinitive
n.

"simple, uninflected form of a verb," 1510s (mid-15c. as an adjective), from Late Latin infinitivus "unlimited, indefinite," from Latin infinitus (see infinite). "Indefinite" because not having definite person or number.

infinitive in Culture

infinitive definition


The simple or dictionary form of a verb: walk, think, fly, exist. Often the word to marks a verb as an infinitive: “to walk,” “to think,” “to fly,” “to exist.”