dative

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• adjective Of, relating to, or being the grammatical case that marks the recipient of action, that often indicates the indirect object of the verb, and that can be used with prepositions or other function words corresponding in meaning to English to and for.
• noun The dative case.
• noun A word or form in the dative case.

from The Century Dictionary.

• In grammar, noting one of the cases of nouns and pronouns and adjectives in Indo-European languages, and in some others, used most commonly to denote the indirect or remoter object of the action of a verb, that to or for which anything is done.
• In law: Noting that which may be given or disposed of at pleasure; being in one's gift.
• Removable, in distinction from perpetual: said of an officer.
• Given or appointed by a magistrate or a court of justice, in distinction from what is given by law or by a testator: as, an executor dative in Scots law (equivalent to an administrator).
• noun The dative case. See I., 1.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun The dative case. See dative, a., 1.
• adjective (Gram.) Noting the case of a noun which expresses the remoter object, and is generally indicated in English by to or for with the objective.
• adjective In one's gift; capable of being disposed of at will and pleasure, as an office.
• adjective Removable, as distinguished from perpetual; -- said of an officer.
• adjective Given by a magistrate, as distinguished from being cast upon a party by the law.
• adjective one appointed by the judge of probate, his office answering to that of an administrator.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• adjective grammar Noting the case of a noun which expresses the remoter or indirect object, generally indicated in English by to or for with the objective.
• adjective this sense?) (law) In one’s gift; capable of being disposed of at will and pleasure, as an office or other privilege.
• adjective this sense?) (law) Removable, as distinguished from perpetual; — said of an officer.
• adjective this sense?) (law) Given by a judge, as distinguished from being cast upon a party by the law itself
• adjective sciences formed by two electrons contributed by one atom
• noun grammar The dative case.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun the category of nouns serving as the indirect object of a verb