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determinative - 5 dictionary results

de⋅ter⋅mi⋅na⋅tive

  [di-tur-muh-ney-tiv, -nuh-tiv]
Use determinative in a Sentence
–adjective
1. serving to determine; determining.
–noun
2. something that determines.
3. a graphic symbol used in ideographic writing to denote a semantic class and written next to a word to indicate in what semantic category that word is to be understood, thus at times distinguishing homographs.
Origin:
1645–55; prob. < ML dēterminātīvus fixed, LL: crucial (of a disease), equiv. to L dētermināt(us) (see determinate ) + -īvus -ive

Related forms:
de⋅ter⋅mi⋅na⋅tive⋅ly, adverb
de⋅ter⋅mi⋅na⋅tive⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To determinative
de·ter·mi·na·tive   (dĭ-tûr'mə-nā'tĭv, -nə-)   
adj.  Tending, able, or serving to determine. See Synonyms at decisive.
n.  A determining factor.
de·ter'mi·na'tive·ly adv., de·ter'mi·na'tive·ness 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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Determinative

De*ter"mi*na*tive\, a. [Cf. F. d['e]terminatif.] Having power to determine; limiting; shaping; directing; conclusive.

Incidents . . . determinative of their course. --I. Taylor.

Determinative tables (Nat. Hist.), tables presenting the specific character of minerals, plants, etc., to assist in determining the species to which a specimen belongs.

Determinative

De*ter"mi*na*tive\, n. That which serves to determine.

Explanatory determinatives . . . were placed after words phonetically expressed, in order to serve as an aid to the reader in determining the meaning. --I. Taylor (The Alphabet).
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Main Entry: de·ter·mi·na·tive
Pronunciation: di-'t&r-m&-"nA-tiv, -n&-tiv
Function: adjective
: having the power or tendency to determine determinative of the issue>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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