What does "formative" mean?
Formative: (Gram.) Serving to form; derivative; not radical; as, a termination merely formative.
Additional senses
- 2.(Biol.) Capable of growth and development; germinal; as, living or formative matter.
- 3.(a) That which serves merely to give form, and is no part of the radical, as the prefix or the termination of a word. (b) A word formed in accordance with some rule or usage, as from a root.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00