Nearby Words
noun
1.
a person engaged, employed, or skilled in some branch of work, especially productive or industrial work; worker.
2.
a detective.
3.
a secret agent; spy.
adjective
5.
having force; being in effect or operation: laws operative in this city.
6.
effective or efficacious.
7.
engaged in, concerned with, or pertaining to work or productive activity.
8.
EXPANDsignificant; key: The operative word in that sentence is “sometimes.”
9.
COLLAPSEMedicine/Medical. concerned with, involving, or pertaining to surgical operations.
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Operative
is always a great word to know.
So is femur. Does it mean:
| a bone in the human leg extending from the pelvis to the knee, that is the longest, largest, and strongest in the body; thighbone. |
| a combining form meaning "ear": |
Origin:
1590–1600; < Middle French operatif < Latin operāt(us) (see operate) + Middle French -if -ive
1590–1600; < Middle French operatif < Latin operāt(us) (see operate) + Middle French -if -ive
Related forms
op·er·a·tive·ly, adverb
in·ter·op·er·a·tive, noun, adjective
non·op·er·a·tive, adjective
un·op·er·a·tive, adjective
Synonyms
1. workman, factory hand. 2. investigator, agent. 6. effectual, serviceable.
1. workman, factory hand. 2. investigator, agent. 6. effectual, serviceable.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To operative
Example Sentences
- They were certain that infection had caused the post operative infection.
- There seem to be two basically different views of intuition operative here.
- Approaching the tree, one operative scans the gifts already in place with a terahertz-wave device to avoid duplicates.
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
operative
1598, "producing the intended effect," from L.L. operativus "creative, formative," from operatus, pp. of operari (see operation). Weakened sense of "significant, important" is from 1955. The noun meaning "worker, operator" is from 1809; sense of "secret agent, spy" is
EXPAND first attested 1930, probably from its use by the Pinkerton Detective Agency as a title for their private detectives (1905).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
operative op·er·a·tive (ŏp'ər-ə-tĭv, -ə-rā'tĭv, ŏp'rə-)
adj.
Of, relating to, or resulting from a surgical operation.
Functioning effectively; efficient.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
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