definitions

connective

[ kuh-nek-tiv ]
/ kəˈnɛk tɪv /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR connective ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

serving or tending to connect: connective remarks between chapters.

noun

something that connects.
Grammar. a word used to connect words, phrases, clauses, and sentences, as a conjunction.
Botany. the tissue joining the two cells of the anther.

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RELATED WORDS

network, relationship, hookup, element, contact, channel, tie, association, obligation, knot, nexus, hitch, seam, in, ring, section, ligature, connective, member, interconnection

Nearby words

connecticut yankee in king arthur's court, a, connecting cartilage, connecting rod, connection, connectionism, connective, connective tissue, connective tumor, connective-tissue disease, connectively, connectivity

Origin of connective

First recorded in 1645–55; connect + -ive
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for connectives

British Dictionary definitions for connectives

connective

/ (kəˈnɛktɪv) /

adjective

serving to connect or capable of connecting

noun

a thing that connects
grammar logic
  1. a less common word for conjunction (def. 3)
  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
botany the tissue of a stamen that connects the two lobes of the anther
anatomy a nerve-fibre bundle connecting two nerve centres
Derived Formsconnectively, adverbconnectivity (ˌkɒnɛkˈtɪvɪtɪ), noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for connectives

connective

adj.

1650s, from connect + -ive (if from Latin, it likely would have been *connexive). Connective tissue is from 1839.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper