connective

American  

[kuh-nek-tiv] / kəˈnɛk tɪv /

adjective

1. serving or tending to connect.

   connective remarks between chapters.

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noun

1. something that connects.

2. Grammar. a word used to connect words, phrases, clauses, and sentences, as a conjunction.

3. Botany. the tissue joining the two cells of the anther.

connective British  

/ ˌkɒnɛkˈtɪvɪtɪ, kəˈnɛktɪv /

adjective

1. serving to connect or capable of connecting

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noun

1. a thing that connects

2. grammar logic

   1. a less common word for conjunction

   2. any word that connects phrases, clauses, or individual words

   3. a symbol used in a formal language in the construction of compound sentences from simpler sentences, corresponding to terms such as or, and, not, etc, in ordinary speech

3. botany the tissue of a stamen that connects the two lobes of the anther

4. anatomy a nerve-fibre bundle connecting two nerve centres

Other Word Forms

• connectively adverb
• connectivity noun
• nonconnective adjective
• nonconnectively adverb
• nonconnectivity noun
• preconnective adjective
• quasi-connective adjective
• quasi-connectively adverb

Etymology

Origin of connective

First recorded in 1645–55; connect + -ive

Example Sentences

"Our observations are consistent across multiple length scales and link connective tissue stiffening to altered biochemical signaling in cancer cells."

From Science Daily

“Your follow-up email should say something like, ‘I enjoyed this’ and offer some connective tissue on some things you really agree on,” she says.

From MarketWatch

Hamilton points to research on female athletes that found higher rates of ligament injuries at certain points in the cycle, likely linked to estrogen’s effects on connective tissue.

From Los Angeles Times

In recent years, scientists discovered that collagen -- the protein that provides structure to bones, skin, and connective tissues -- can survive in ancient bones, including dinosaur fossils.

From Science Daily

“I don’t want to be the Che Guevara of film,” Moura says, aware of the connective tissue of a career still in ascent.

From Los Angeles Times