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additive

 - 7 dictionary results

ad⋅di⋅tive

[ad-i-tiv]
–noun
1. something that is added, as one substance to another, to alter or improve the general quality or to counteract undesirable properties: an additive that thins paint.
2. Nutrition.
a. Also called food additive. a substance added directly to food during processing, as for preservation, coloring, or stabilization.
b. something that becomes part of food or affects it as a result of packaging or processing, as debris or radiation.
–adjective
3. characterized or produced by addition; cumulative: an additive process.
4. Mathematics. (of a function) having the property that the function of the union or sum of two quantities is equal to the sum of the functional values of each quantity; linear.

Origin:
1690–1700; < LL additīvus. See additament, -ive


ad⋅di⋅tive⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ad·di·tive   (ād'ĭ-tĭv)   
n.  A substance added in small amounts to something else to improve, strengthen, or otherwise alter it.
adj.  
  1. Marked by, produced by, or involving addition.

  2. Of or being any of certain primary colors of wavelengths that may be mixed with one another to produce other colors. See Table at color.

ad'di·tive·ly adv., ad'di·tiv'i·ty n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

additive  (n.)
"something that is added," 1945, from addition (q.v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1ad·di·tive
Pronunciation: 'ad-&t-iv
Function: adjective
: having or relating to a value or effect that is the sumof individual values or effects: as a : relating to the sum of the pharmacological responses produced by the concurrent administration of two or more drugs capable of producing thesame kind of effect b : having a genetic effect that is the sum of the individual effects —ad·di·tive·ly adverbad·di·tiv·i·ty /"ad-&-'tiv-&t-E/ noun plural -ties

Main Entry: 2additive
Function: noun
: a substance added to another in relatively small amounts to effect a desired change in properties; especially : an agent added to a foodstuff to improve color, flavor, texture, or keeping qualities
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

additive ad·di·tive (ād'ĭ-tĭv)
n.
A substance added in small amounts to something else to improve, strengthen, or otherwise alter it.


ad'di·tive adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Computing Dictionary

additive mathematics
A function f : X -> Y is additive if
for all Z <= X f (lub Z) = lub z in Z
(f "preserves lubs"). All additive functions defined over cpos are continuous.
("<=" is written in LaTeX as subseteq, "lub" as \sqcup ).
(1995-02-03)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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