{{dablink|For the physical process, see [[ablation]]. For the spacecraft technology, see [[ablative armor]].}}
{{Table_Cases}}

In [[linguistics]], '''ablative case''' ([[abbreviation|abbreviated]] <small>'''ABL'''</small>) is a name given to [[grammatical case|cases]] in various languages whose common thread is that they mark motion away from something, though the details in each language may differ. The name "ablative" is derived from the [[Latin]] ''ablatus'', the (irregular) past participle of ''auferre'' "to carry away".

==Indo-European languages==
===Latin===
{| class="wikitable"
! || [[First declension|1st]] || [[Second declension|2nd]] || [[Third declension|3rd]] || [[Fourth declension|4th]] || [[Fifth declension|5th]]
|-
! [[Grammatical number|Singular]]
| -ā || -ō || -e/-ī || -ū || -ē
|-
! [[Plural]]
| -īs || -īs || -ibus || -ibus || -ēbus
|}

The [[Latin]] ablative case (''ablativus'') has at least fifteen documented uses; although some classicists{{Who|date=July 2007}} have stated that there are additional unique uses. Generalizing their function, however, ablatives modify or limit nouns by ideas of where (place), when (time), how (manner), etc. Hence, the case is sometimes also called the [[adverbial case]]; this can be quite literal, as phrases in the ablative can be translated as [[adverb]]s. E.g. ''magnā (cum) celeritāte'', literally "with great speed," may also be written "very quickly."

Active motion away from a place is only one particular use of the ablative case and is called the '''ablative of place from which'''. Nouns, either proper or common, are almost always used in this sense with accompanying prepositions of ''ab/ā/abs'', "from"; ''ex/ē'', "out of"; or ''dē'', "down from". E.g. ''ex agrīs'', "from the country"; ''ex Graeciā ad Italiam navigāvērunt'', "They sailed from Greece to Italy."

A closely related construction is called the '''ablative of separation'''. This usage of the ablative implies that some person or thing is separated from another. No active movement from one location to the next occurs; furthermore, ablatives of separation sometimes lack a preposition, particularly with certain verbs like cáreō or līberō. E.g. ''Cicerō hostēs ab urbe prohibuit'', "Cicero kept the enemy away from the city"; ''Eōs timōre līberāvit'', "He freed them from fear."

The Latin ablative may also be used to indicate:

* the means by which an action was carried out. E.g. ''oculīs vidēre'', "to see with the eyes". This is known as the '''ablative of means''' or '''of instrument''', and is equivalent to the [[instrumental case]] found in some other languages. Special [[deponent verb]]s in Latin sometimes use the ablative of means idiomatically. E.g. ''Ūtitur stilō'' literally says "he is benefiting himself by means of a pencil"; however, the phrase is more aptly translated "he is using a pencil."

* the manner in which an action was carried out. The preposition ''cum'' (meaning "with") is used when (i) no adjective describes the noun E.g. ''cum cūrā'', "with care," or (ii) optionally after the adjective(s) and before the noun E.g. ''magnā (cum) celeritāte'', "with great speed." This is known as the '''ablative of manner'''.

* the time when or within which an action occurred. E.g. ''aestāte'', "in summer"; ''eō tempore'', "at that time"; ''Paucīs hōrīs id faciet'', "within a few hours he will do it." This is known as the '''ablative of time when or within which'''.

* the circumstances surrounding an action. E.g. ''Urbe captā, Aenēas fugit,'' "With the city having been captured, Aeneas fled." This is known as the '''[[Latin grammar#Ablative absolute|ablative absolute]]'''.

Of kindred nature to this is the Ablative of Attendant Circumstances "magno cum clamore ciuium ad urbem perueniunt" ("they reach the city to the great clamours of the populace")

* with whom something was done. Nouns in this construction are always accompanied by the preposition ''cum''. E.g. ''cum eīs'', "with them"; ''Cum amīcīs vēnērunt'', "They came with friends." This is known as the '''ablative of accompaniment'''.

* the whole to which a certain number belongs or is a part. E.g. ''centum ex virīs'', "one hundred of the men"; ''quīnque ex eīs'', "five of them."

* agent by whom the action of a passive verb is performed. The agent is always preceded by ''ab/ā/abs''. E.g. ''Caesar ā dīs admonētur'', "Caesar is warned by the gods." This is known as the '''ablative of personal agent'''. This can, however, be more generalized when the agent is an inanimate object. In this case, the preposition ''ab/ā/abs'' is not used. E.g. "rex a militibus interfectus est" "the king was killed by the soliders" as opposed to "rex armis militum interfectus est" "the king was killed by the weapons of the soldiers." This is known as simply the '''ablative of agent'''

Other known uses of the ablative include the '''ablatives of cause''', '''of comparison''', '''of degree of difference''', '''of description''', '''of place where''', and '''of specification'''. Important: Not all ablatives can be categorized into the classes mentioned above!

Some Latin [[preposition]]s, like ''pro'', take a noun in the ablative. A few prepositions may take either an [[accusative case|accusative]] or an ablative, in which case the accusative indicates motion towards, and the ablative indicates no motion. E.g. ''in casā'', "in the cottage"; ''in casam'', "into the cottage".<ref>Wheelock, Frederic M. ''[[Wheelock's Latin]]'', HarperCollins, 2005. ISBN 0-06-078371-0</ref>

===Sanskrit===
The ablative case is also found in Sanskrit where it is the 5th case, and is called 'apaadaana' .
<ref>http://acharya.iitm.ac.in/sanskrit/gloss.php?topic=vibhakti</ref>

==Uralic languages==
===Finnish===
In [[Finnish language|Finnish]], the ablative case is the sixth of the locative cases with the meaning "from, off, of", e.g. ''pöytä &mdash; pöydältä'' "table &mdash; off from the table". It is an outer locative case, used just as the [[adessive]] and [[allative]] cases to denote both being on top of something and "being around the place" (as opposed to the inner locative case, the [[elative]], which means "from out of" or "from the inside of").

The Finnish ablative is also used in time expressions to indicate start times as well as with verbs expressing feelings or emotions.

The Finnish ablative has the ending -lta or -ltä according to the regular rules of vocal harmony.

Usage

* away from a place

::Katolta
:::Off the roof

::Pöydältä
:::Off the table

::Rannalta
:::From the beach

::Maalta
:::From the land

::Mereltä
:::Off the sea

* to stop some activity with the verb lähteä

::lähteä kalalta{{Fact|date=September 2007}}
:::stop fishing
::lähteä tupakalta
:::stop smoking (in the sense of putting out the cigarette one is smoking now; literally 'leave the tobacco')
::lähteä hippasilta
:::quit the tag game (hippa=tag, olla hippasilla=playing tag)

* to smell/taste/feel/look/sound like something

::haisee pahalta
:::smells bad
::maistuu hyvältä
:::tastes good
::tuntuu kamalalta
:::feels awful
::näyttää tyhmältä
:::looks stupid
::kuulostaa mukavalta
:::sounds nice

==Altaic languages==
===Azeri===

The ablative in [[Azerbaijani language|Azeri]] (''çıxışlıq hal'') is expressed through the suffixes ''-dan'' or ''-dən''. Examples:
<br>

Ev - ev'''dən'''
<br>''House - from/off the house''

Aparmaq - aparmaq'''dan'''
<br>''To carry - from/off carrying''

===Turkish===

The ablative in [[Turkish language|Turkish]] (''-den hali'') is expressed through the suffixes ''-den'', ''-dan'', ''-ten'', or ''-tan''. Examples:
<br>

Ev - ev'''den'''
<br>''House - from/off the house''

At - at'''tan'''
<br>''Horse - from/off the horse''

Taşımak - taşımak'''tan'''
<br>''To carry - from/off carrying''

==External links==
*[http://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAblativeCase.htm What is the ablative case?]

== References ==
<references/>

[[bar:Ablativ]]
[[bg:Аблативен падеж]]
[[cs:Ablativ]]
[[da:Ablativ]]
[[de:Ablativ]]
[[es:Caso ablativo]]
[[eo:Ablativo]]
[[fr:Ablatif]]
[[gl:Ablativo]]
[[id:Ablativus]]
[[it:Ablativo]]
[[la:Ablativus]]
[[mt:Ablativ]]
[[nl:Ablatief]]
[[ja:奪格]]
[[no:Ablativ]]
[[nn:Ablativ]]
[[pl:Ablatyw]]
[[pt:Caso ablativo]]
[[ro:Cazul ablativ]]
[[ru:Аблатив]]
[[sk:Ablatív]]
[[sr:Аблатив]]
[[fi:Ablatiivi]]
[[sv:Ablativ]]
[[vec:Ablativo]]
[[zh:离格]]