A word that combines the function of a verb and an adjective. It is further divided in some languages into present and past participle. In English, the present participle is formed by affixing the suffix 'ing' to the verb, e.g., walk-ing, eat-ing. As a verb it tells us what action the agent is engaged in but as an adjective it describes the agent. So whereas a pure adjective, e.g., "the black dog," merely describes the dog, "the barking dog" describes both the dog and what it is doing. Past participle in English is usually identified by the terminal 'en,' as in 'taken,' 'eaten,' and is passive in sense, describing what action befell the agent (e.g., "the fish was eaten.")
Participial is the adjective describing what function a word or phrase serves in the sentence.
Participles may also function as a noun in a sentence; e.g., "the walking made me tired." In fact, in translation, it is not uncommon for noun from the same root to replace the participle. In the NIV, e.g., the participle, hagiasmenois ('sanctified,' masculine, plural), is often replaced by the word 'saint.'
In both biblical Hebrew and Greek, the participle is conjugated to agree in gender, number and case (for Greek) with the noun it qualifies.
©ALBERITH
r140920lch