suppletive

[ suh-plee-tiv, suhp-li-tiv ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

, Grammar.

serving as an inflected form of a word with a totally different stem, as went, the suppletive past of go.
including one or more such forms:
a suppletive paradigm.
characterized by the use of such forms:
suppletive inflection.

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Word History and Origins

1810–20; < Medieval Latin supplētīvus, equivalent to Latin supplēt ( us ) (past participle of supplēre to fill up; suppletion ) + -īvus -ive

suppletion suppletory

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