putative
Americanadjective
adjective
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(prenominal) commonly regarded as being
the putative father
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(prenominal) considered to exist or have existed; inferred
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grammar denoting a mood of the verb in some languages used when the speaker does not have direct evidence of what he is asserting, but has inferred it on the basis of something else
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of putative
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Late Latin putātīvus “considered, reckoned, reputed,” equivalent to putāt(us) (past participle of putāre “to think, consider, reckon,” originally “to prune (trees), clean (wool)” + -īvus -ive
Explanation
You might be the putative leader of your lacrosse team, even if someone else holds the title of captain. Putative means to be known as something by reputation, or assumed to be something, or generally accepted. Every once in a while, a putative planet is reported in the news, which we get very excited about and which usually turns out to be an illusion. But in 2005, an astronomer discovered what appears to be a new planet beyond Neptune. But is this putative planet for real? There is always some doubt — something not quite official — about putative things.
Vocabulary lists containing putative
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Putative evidence of pre-LGM occupation comes from several sites in Mexico and South America, including Pedra Furada in northeastern Brazil.
From Scientific American • Apr. 20, 2021
Putative off-target sites were evaluated using the primer pairs listed in Extended Data Table 1a.
From Nature • Sep. 19, 2017
Putative politico pranks Perry with palaver pertaining to pig pies.
From Washington Post • Aug. 10, 2017
Neandertals show the same pattern: Putative Neandertal ancestors such as 400,000-year-old fossils in Spain have elongated, archaic skulls with specialized Neandertal traits in their faces.
From Science Magazine • Jun. 7, 2017
But we must distinguish between Command of the Sea and Sea Supremacy, and again between Potential Command, Putative Command and Absolute Command.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, January 26, 1916 by Seaman, Owen, Sir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
