In*tran"si*tive (?), a.
[L. intransitivus: cf. F.
intransitif. See In-
not, and Transitive.]
1. Not passing farther; kept; detained.
[R.]
And then it is for the image's sake
and so far is intransitive; but whatever is paid more
to the image is transitive and passes further.
Jer. Taylor.
2. (Gram.) Not transitive; not passing over to an object; expressing an action or state that is
limited to the agent or
subject, or, in other words, an action which does not require an object to
complete the sense; as, an
intransitive verb, e. g., the bird
flies; the dog
runs.
&fist; Intransitive verbs have no passive form. Some verbs which appear at first sight to be intransitive are in reality, or were originally, transitive verbs with a reflexive or other object omitted; as, he keeps (i. e., himself) aloof from danger. Intransitive verbs may
take a noun
of kindred signification for a cognate object; as, he
died the death of a hero; he dreamed a dream. Some intransitive verbs, by
the addition of a preposition, become transitive, and so admit of a passive voice; as, the
man laughed at; he was laughed at by the man.
Hear it pronounced