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privative

[ priv-uh-tiv ]
/ ˈprɪv ə tɪv /
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adjective
causing, or tending to cause, deprivation.
consisting in or characterized by the taking away, loss, or lack of something.
Grammar. indicating negation or absence.
noun
Grammar. a privative element, as a- in asymmetric.
something that is deprived.
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Origin of privative

1350–1400; Middle English privatif<Latin prīvātīvus.See private, -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM privative

priv·a·tive·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use privative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for privative

privative
/ (ˈprɪvətɪv) /

adjective
causing privation
expressing lack or negation, as for example the English suffix -less and prefix un-
logic obsolete (of a proposition) that predicates a logical privation

Derived forms of privative

privatively, adverb

Word Origin for privative

C16: from Latin prīvātīvus indicating loss, negative
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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