-ative

suffix forming adjectives denoting a characteristic or propensity (authoritative; imitative; pejorative; qualitative; talkative).
Etymology: from or after F -atif -ative or f. L -ativus f. past part. stem -at- of verbs in -are + -ivus (see -IVE): cf. -ATIC

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\When the preceding syllable has a stress (as in “purgative”) əd.iv or ətiv or, sometimes in some words (as “rotative”) answering to paroxytone disyllabic verbs in “-ate”, ˌād.iv or ˌātiv or -ēv also -əv; when the preceding syllable is noninitial and unstressed (as in “legislative” or “nominative”) ˌā- or _ə-; in some words (as “elative”) answering to oxytone verbs in “-ate”, ˈā-\ adjective suffix

Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French -atif, from Latin -ativus, from -atus -ate + -ivus -ive

: of, relating to, or connected with

authoritative

consultative

normative

quantitative

: tending to

fixative

formative

laxative

talkative

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a combination of -ate¹ and -ive, used to form adjectives from stems in -ate¹ (regulative); on this model, because of the frequency and productivity of -ate¹, used independently to form adjectives from stems of other origin: normative.

[ < L -ativus, equiv. to -at(us) -ATE¹ + -ivus -IVE]

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-ative,

suffix added to verbs and nouns to form adjectives.

1. tending to _____: »

Talkative = tending to talk.

2. having to do with _____: »

Qualitative = having to do with quality.

╂[< French -ative < Latin -ātīvus < -āt- of past participle stems + -īvus, an adjective suffix]

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suffix (forming adjectives) denoting a characteristic or propensity

pejorative | talkative

Origin:

representing French -atif, -ative, or from Latin -ativus

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adj suffix

1 : relating to or connected with something

authoritative

2 : designed to do something

preventative

informative

3 : tending to do something

talkative

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-ative [-ative -atively] suffix

(in adjectives) doing or tending to do sth

•

illustrative

•

talkative

Derived Word: ↑-atively

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-ative

ad. F. -atif, -ative, L. -ātīvus, consisting of adj. suffix -īvus (see -ive) appended to ppl. stems in -āt- of vbs. in -āre, e.g. dēmonstrāre to point out, dēmonstrāt-īvus ‘having the attribute or habit of pointing out, tending to point out.’ Only a few were used in Latin, but the analogy is extensively followed in the modern languages. In the majority of instances, as in demonstrate, demonstrative, adjs. in -ative belong to vbs. in -ate; cases like represent, -ative, affirm, -ative, figure, figurative, in which the Eng. vb. represents (through Fr.) the present stem of the Latin, have afforded a formal analogy for talk, talk-ative.

A few adjs. of this class are moreover formed directly from ns. in -ty, as if from an intervening verb in -tate, which does not exist; e.g. authority, (*authoritate), authoritative; so qualitative, quantitative.