Origin: Latin suffix -ive
Vocative has 4 different meanings across 2 categories:
the case (in some inflected languages) used when the referent of the noun is being addressed
The vocative case
Of or pertaining to calling; used in calling or vocation.
The word "vocative" comes from the Latin term vocātīvus, which means "for calling." It was borrowed into English via Middle French and is related to the Greek word for the vocative case, both deriving from a root meaning "to call."