What does transitivity mean?
Transitivity is a grammatical noun describing the property of a verb or clause that takes an object. In “She opened the door,” opened is transitive because the action is performed upon the door; by contrast, “The door opened” is intransitive because no object is required. The term is especially useful in linguistic description, where transitive and intransitive constructions can be compared and different kinds of object distinguished. Transitivity also has a technical use in logic and mathematics: a transitive relation has the property that if it links one element to another and that element to a third, it links the first directly to the third. This distinction helps readers analyse syntax accurately and understand how meanings are represented. In everyday discussion, transitivity is usually a formal or specialist term rather than an informal label. It is normally treated as an uncountable noun, though plural forms occasionally appear in technical writing when different relation types or analyses are being enumerated.
nounThe property of being transitive. In grammar, a transitive verb takes an object; in logic, a transitive relation has the property that if it relates one element to another and that element to a third, it relates the first directly to the third.
- The grammatical property of a verb or clause that takes an object.
- The property of a relation in logic or mathematics that ensures that if one element is related to a second and the second to a third, the first is related to the third.
"The analysis turns on the transitivity of the verb rather than on the meanings of its individual words."
"The transitivity of 'include' is demonstrated in the phrase 'include a footnote.'"
"The theorem is based on the transitivity of the relation 'is older than.'"
The plural is uncommon because transitivity is normally used as an uncountable noun.
"The study compares different transitivities in the two languages."
Transitivity reveals whether a verb stays within itself or reaches out to an object.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does transitivity come from?
Transitivity was formed in English by adding the suffix -ity to transitive. Transitive comes from Latin transitivus, meaning “passing over” or “transitive,” and is related to transire, “to cross over,” built from trans- (“across”) and ire (“to go”). English relatives from this root include transit, transitory, and transition.
How transitivity is actually used
This is a formal or specialist term, especially common in grammar, linguistics, logic, and mathematics. It is normally treated as an uncountable noun, and plural forms are uncommon.
Easily confused with transitivity
Transitivity is the property of taking an object, whereas intransitivity is the property of not requiring one.