| valency |
| Definition: The number of subjects and objects that a verb can govern. |
| Example:
(1) intransitive verbs can only have one subject (e.g., I snore), thus have a valency of 1; (2) transitive verbs can have a subject and a direct object (e.g., I eat spinach), and thus have a valency of 2; (3) ditransitive verbs can have a subject, a direct object, and an indirect object (e.g., I gave him a drink); thus have a valency of 3. |
| Etymology:
The word ultimately derives from the Latin valentia, strength or capacity (from valere, be strong). Note: The linguistics' sense of the term was probably coined on analogy with its chemistry sense: "the combining power of an element"; Linguistic valency thus denoting the combining power of the verb. |