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illative

[ il-uh-tiv, ih-ley-tiv ]
/ ˈɪl ə tɪv, ɪˈleɪ tɪv /
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adjective
of, relating to, or expressing illation; inferential: an illative word such as “therefore.”
Grammar. noting a case, as in Finnish, whose distinctive function is to indicate place into or toward which.
noun
Grammar. the illative case.
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Origin of illative

1585–95; <Late Latin illātīvus, equivalent to illāt- (see illation) + -īvus-ive

OTHER WORDS FROM illative

il·la·tive·ly, adverbnon·il·la·tive, adjectivenon·il·la·tive·ly, adverb

Words nearby illative

ill-affected, Illampu, ill-assorted, ill at ease, illation, illative, illaudable, Illawarra, I'll be hanged, ill-behaved, ill-being
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use illative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for illative

illative
/ (ɪˈleɪtɪv) /
adjective
of or relating to illation; inferential
grammar denoting a word or morpheme used to signal inference, for example so or therefore
(in the grammar of Finnish and other languages) denoting a case of nouns expressing a relation of motion or direction, usually translated by the English prepositions into or towardsCompare elative (def. 1)
noun
grammar
  1. the illative case
  2. an illative word or speech element

Derived forms of illative

illatively, adverb

Word Origin for illative

C16: from Late Latin illātīvus inferring, concluding
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
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