formative
[ fawr-muh-tiv ]
/ ˈfɔr mə tɪv /
adjective
giving form or shape; forming; shaping; fashioning; molding: a formative process in manufacturing.
pertaining to formation or development: a child's most formative years.
Biology.
- capable of developing new cells or tissue by cell division and differentiation: formative tissue.
- concerned with the formation of an embryo, organ, or the like.
Grammar.
pertaining to a formative.
noun
Grammar.
a derivational affix, particularly one that determines the part of speech of the derived word, as -ness, in loudness, hardness, etc.
Linguistics.
(in generative grammar) any element, as a word, affix, or inflectional ending, functioning as a minimal syntactic unit that can be used in forming larger constructions.
Origin of formative
SYNONYMS FOR formative
OTHER WORDS FROM formative
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH formative
formative formidableWords nearby formative
formate,
formatio,
formation,
formation dance,
formation rules,
formative,
formative assessment,
formative element,
formboard,
formby,
forme
Example sentences from the Web for formative
British Dictionary definitions for formative
formative
/ (ˈfɔːmətɪv) /
adjective
of or relating to formation, development, or growth
formative years
shaping; moulding
a formative experience
(of tissues and cells in certain parts of an organism) capable of growth and differentiation
functioning in the formation of derived, inflected, or compound words
noun
an inflectional or derivational affix
(in generative grammar) any of the minimum units of a sentence that have syntactic function