Definitions for: Determinative


[n] a determining or causal element or factor; "education is an important determinant of one's outlook on life"
[n] one of a limited class of noun modifiers that determine the referents of noun phrases
[adj] having the power or quality of deciding; "the crucial experiment"; "cast the deciding vote"; "the determinative (or determinant) battle"



Webster (1913) Definition: De*ter"mi*na*tive, a. [Cf. F. d['e]terminatif.]
Having power to determine; limiting; shaping; directing;
conclusive.

Incidents . . . determinative of their course. --I.
Taylor.

Determinative tables (Nat. Hist.), tables presenting the
specific character of minerals, plants, etc., to assist in
determining the species to which a specimen belongs.


De*ter"mi*na*tive, n.
That which serves to determine.

Explanatory determinatives . . . were placed after
words phonetically expressed, in order to serve as an
aid to the reader in determining the meaning. --I.
Taylor (The
Alphabet).

Synonyms: causal factor, crucial, deciding(a), decisive, determinant, determinant, determiner, determiner, determining factor, determining(a)

See Also: article, clincher, closed-class word, cognitive factor, decisive factor, function word, influence

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