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Webster 1913 Edition

Instrumental

Inˊstru-men′tal

,
Adj.
[Cf. F.
instrumental
.]
1.
Acting as an instrument; serving as a means; contributing to promote; conductive; helpful; serviceable;
as, he was
instrumental
in conducting the business
.
The head is not more native to the heart,
The hand more
instrumental
to the mouth.
Shakespeare
2.
(Mus.)
Pertaining to, made by, or prepared for, an instrument, esp. a musical instrument;
as,
instrumental
music, distinguished from
vocal
music
.
“He defended the use of instrumental music in public worship.”
Macaulay.
Sweet voices mix’d with
instrumental
sounds.
Dryden.
3.
(Gram.)
Applied to a case expressing means or agency;
as, the
instrumental
case
. This is found in Sanskrit and Russian as a separate case, but in Greek it was merged into the dative, and in Latin into the ablative. In Old English it was a separate case, but has disappeared, leaving only a few anomalous forms.
Instrumental errors
,
those errors in instrumental measurements, etc., which arise, exclusively from lack of mathematical accuracy in an instrument.

Webster 1828 Edition

Instrumental

INSTRUMENT'AL

,
Adj.
Conducive as an instrument or means to some end; contributing aid; serving to promote or effect an object; helpful. The press has been instrumental in enlarging the bounds of knowledge.
1.
Pertaining to instruments; made by instruments; as instrumental music, distinguished form vocal music, which is made by the human voice.

Definition 2024

instrumentāl

instrumentāl

Livonian

Noun

instrumentāl

  1. (grammar) instrumental case

Declension

Usage notes

Instrumental case is a term used by some authors (including Viitso). Its suffix (-ks) is cognate with Estonian (-ks) and Finnish (-ksi) translative case endings (which is one of its functions in Livonian) with which a comitative function (Estonian affix -ga) has been syncretized. To avoid calling it "translative/comitative" it is called "instrumental" for short.

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