determinative

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /dɪˈtɝmɪnətɪv/ UK /dɪˈtɜːmɪnətɪv/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
serving to decide or define; a deciding factor or marker

Cost proved the determinative factor in their final choice.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · serving to decide or... decisive defining determining conclusive determinant deciding

Opposites

indeterminate inconclusive

Word family

Derived forms determinatively

Related forms determine determinant determination

Etymology

From Medieval Latin determinativus, from Latin determinare ('to limit, settle'), from de- (intensive) + terminare ('to bound'), from terminus ('boundary').

determinare Latin terminus Latin *ter- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# determinative

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈtɝmɪnətɪv/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪˈtɜːmɪnətɪv/

## Meanings
1. serving to decide or define; a deciding factor or marker

## Examples
- Cost proved the determinative factor in their final choice.

## Synonyms
- decisive
- defining
- determining
- conclusive
- determinant
- deciding

## Antonyms
- indeterminate
- inconclusive

## Derived Forms
- determinatively

## Related Forms
- determine
- determinant
- determination

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: determinare
- Root: terminus
- Root: *ter-

## Etymology
From Medieval Latin determinativus, from Latin determinare ('to limit, settle'), from de- (intensive) + terminare ('to bound'), from terminus ('boundary').

## AI Etymology
Determinative is from Medieval Latin determinativus, from Latin determinare ('to limit, settle'), from de- (intensive) + terminare ('to bound'), from terminus ('boundary'). The ancestry passes through Latin determinare, Latin terminus, and Proto-Indo-European *ter-. The prefix de- often marks removal, reversal, or downward motion in Latin formations, helping to explain the word's surface structure. In present use as adjective and noun, it means "serving to decide or define; a deciding factor or marker", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include determine, determinant, and determination; derived forms include determinatively.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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