| object |
| Definition:
A noun or noun equivalent (e.g., a pronoun) that is governed by either (1) an active transitive verb or (2) by a preposition. |
| Example: In the sentence Bob kicked him the ball, the word ball is a direct object and the word him is an indirect object. |
| Etymology: The word derives from the Medieval Latin objectum, thing put before (the mind or sight) (from ob, against + jacere, to throw). |
| Oxford English Dictionary: Its first OED citation is from 1727: "Verb Neuter, is that which signifies an action that has no particular object whereon to fall; but which, of itself, takes up the whole idea of the action." (Chambers Cycl. s.v. Verb) |