in grammar, the third case in the declension of nouns; expressing the state or relation of a thing to whose profit or loss some other thing is referred. See Grammar.

It is called dative, because usually governed by a verb implying something to be given to some person. As, *commodare Socrati*, "to lend to Socrates;" *utilis republicae*, "useful to the commonwealth;" *permissus ecclesiae*, "permissive to the church."

In English, where we have properly no cases, this relation is expressed by the sign *to* or *for*.