Where does “unergative” come from?
unergative (English) comes from English ergative, from Ancient Greek ἐργάτης, from Ancient Greek ἔργον, from Proto-Hellenic wérgon, from Proto-Indo-European wérǵom, from Proto-Indo-European werǵ- — to make.
unergative (English): Intransitive and having an agent as its subject
Definitions
- Intransitive and having an agent as its subject
Ancestry of “unergative”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ergative | Used of various situations where the subjects of... |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ἐργάτης | worker, workman, labourer; capstan, windlass,... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἔργον | deed, doing, action; labour, work, task;... |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | wérgon | work |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wérǵom | work |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | werǵ- | to make |