applicative (adj./n.)

(appl) In GRAMMAR, a type of double-OBJECT construction in some languages (roughly corresponding to the DIRECT/indirect object construction in English). An applicative AFFIX on the verb encodes as objects a range of ROLES, such as BENEFACTIVE and LOCATIVE. The construction can be analyzed as a type of VOICE, in which the focus is on the types of object rather than on the relationship between SUBJECT and object. Applicatives are widely found in Bantu languages.