suppletive
[ suh-plee-tiv, suhp-li-tiv ]
/ səˈpli tɪv, ˈsʌp lɪ tɪv /
adjective Grammar.
serving as an inflected form of a word with a totally different stem, as went, the suppletive past of go.
including one or more such forms: a suppletive paradigm.
characterized by the use of such forms: suppletive inflection.
Nearby words
- supplementary angle,
- supplementary angles,
- supplementary story,
- supplementation,
- suppletion,
- suppletory,
- supplex,
- suppliance,
- suppliancy,
- suppliant
Origin of suppletive
1810–20; < Medieval Latin supplētīvus, equivalent to Latin supplēt(us) (past participle of supplēre to fill up; see suppletion) + -īvus -ive
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019