partitive

[ pahr-ti-tiv ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

serving to divide into parts.
Grammar. noting part of a whole:
the Latin partitive genitive.

noun

Grammar. a partitive word or formation, as of the men in half of the men.

partitive

/ ˈpɑːtɪtɪv /

adjective

grammar indicating that a noun involved in a construction refers only to a part or fraction of what it otherwise refers to. The phrase some of the butter is a partitive construction; in some inflected languages it would be translated by the genitive case of the noun
serving to separate or divide into parts

noun

grammar a partitive linguistic element or feature

Discover More

Derived Forms

ˈpartitively, adverb

Discover More

Other Words From

parti·tive·ly adverb
un·parti·tive adjective

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of partitive¹

1510–20; < Medieval Latin partītīvus divisive, equivalent to Latin partīt ( us ), past participle of partīrī to divide ( party ) + -īvus -ive