What does pronominal mean?
Pronominal is a specialized grammatical adjective with two closely related uses. Most commonly, it describes a verb whose grammatical form contains a pronoun that refers back to an action’s participants: a reflexive pronoun can make an action self-directed, while a reciprocal pronoun can indicate mutual action. The French verb se lever, for example, is described as pronominal because its reflexive pronoun se identifies the subject as the person doing the action to themself. More broadly, pronominal means relating to pronouns or pronoun-like grammatical elements, so linguists may also speak of pronominal prefixes or constructions. The word is therefore most useful when precision matters: it separates a construction explicitly organized around a pronoun from one organized around a noun, a conventional expression, or a grammatical element described in another way. Though uncommon in everyday conversation, pronominal is valuable in descriptions of syntax and morphology, especially when discussing the grammars of languages such as French, Spanish, and Italian.
adjectiveRelating to a pronoun or pronoun-like grammatical element. In particular, of a verb whose action is expressed as self-directed or mutual through a reflexive or reciprocal pronoun.
- Relating to a pronoun or to a pronoun-like grammatical element.
- Of a verb: using a pronoun, typically reflexive or reciprocal, to express self-directed or mutual action.
"The French verb se lever is pronominal, using a reflexive pronoun to indicate that the subject performs the action on themself."
"The verb se lever in French is pronominal because the reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject."
"Her grammar textbook explains that a pronominal verb uses a pronoun to refer back to the participant performing the action."
A pronominal verb is a verbal boomerang: its pronoun points the action back at the subject—or toward another participant.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pronominal come from?
Pronominal ultimately comes from Latin prōnōmen, meaning “a name used in place of another name,” formed from pro- (“in place of”) and nomen (“name”). Its adjectival form continues the Latin prōnōminālis, using the suffix that gives English words such as nominal and normal their adjectival form. Words including nominal, nominate, and nomination preserve the same Latin nomen, “name,” root.
Related word forms
How pronominal is actually used
This is specialized grammatical terminology rather than everyday vocabulary. It is especially common in linguistic analysis and in descriptions of languages such as French, Spanish, and Italian.
Easily confused with pronominal
Nominal relates primarily to a noun or name, whereas pronominal specifically relates to a pronoun or to grammatical behavior involving a pronoun.