agglutinative

[ uh-gloot-n-ey-tiv, uh-gloot-n-uh- ]

adjective

1. tending or having power to agglutinate or unite:

   an agglutinative substance.

2. Linguistics. pertaining to or noting a language, as Turkish, characterized by agglutination. Compare inflectional ( def 2 ), isolating.

agglutinative

/ əˈɡluːtɪnətɪv /

adjective

1. tending to join or capable of joining
2. See synthetic, analytic, polysynthetic
   Alsoagglomerative linguistics denoting languages, such as Hungarian, whose morphology is characterized by agglutination Compare analytic synthetic polysynthetic

Other Words From

• anti·ag·gluti·native adjective
• nonag·gluti·native adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of agglutinative¹

First recorded in 1625–35; agglutinate + -ive

Example Sentences

Such languages could be termed “agglutinative-isolating,” “fusional-isolating” and “symbolic-isolating.”

From Project Gutenberg

Agglutinative languages do not often possess special adverbial endings.

From Project Gutenberg

Agglutinative action is evidence of the presence in a serum of a somewhat similar set of substances, known as “agglutinins.”

From Project Gutenberg

In the agglutinative languages, or at any rate in some of them, some of the post-fixed elements have still an independent value.

From Project Gutenberg

But the distinction between them and the so-called agglutinative languages is one of degree rather than of kind.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• syrupy
• tacky
• viscous