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isolative

[ahy-suh-ley-tiv, is-uh-]
adjective
  1. noting a change in part of the sound of a word made independently of the phonetic environment of that part.
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Origin of isolative

First recorded in 1885–90; isolate + -ive
Related formsun·i·so·la·tive, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for isolative

isolative

adjective
  1. (of a sound change) occurring in all linguistic environments, as the change of Middle English / iː / to Modern English / aɪ /, as in timeCompare combinative (def. 2)
  2. of, relating to, or concerned with isolation
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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