-ive Definition

iv
suffix
Performing or tending toward a specified action.
Demonstrative.
American Heritage

An adjective suffix signifying relating or belonging to, of the nature of, tending to; as affirmative, active, conclusive, corrective, diminutive.

Wiktionary
affix
Of, relating to, belonging to, having the nature or quality of.
Sportive.
Webster's New World
Tending to, given to.
Retrospective.
Webster's New World

Origin of -ive

  • From Anglo-Norman -if (feminine -ive), from Latin -ivus. Until the fourteenth century all Middle English loanwords from Anglo-Norman ended in -if (compare actif, natif, sensitif, pensif etc.), and under the influence of literary Neolatin both languages introduced the form -ive. Those forms that have not been replaced were subsequently changed to end in -y (compare hasty, from hastif, jolly, from jolif etc.).

    From Wiktionary

  • Like the Latin suffix -io (genitive -ionis), Latin suffix -ivus is appended to the perfect passive participle to form an adjective of action.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English from Old French from Latin -īvus adj. suff

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • ME < OFr -if, fem. -ive < L -ivus

    From Webster's New World College Dictionary, 5th Edition

-ive Sentence Examples

  • This may be a useful pointer toward ID as Ive not seen chasers doing this.

  • Ive got a lovely old sideboard with a mirror which used to be my grandmothers, but I would never paint anything like that.

  • The forward portion of the anterior coelom shared in the constriction and elongation of the preoral lobe; but its hinder portion was dragged up along with the water-pore and formed a canal lying moccth ive along the outer wall (the gerei tatpore parietal canal).

  • Hope u enjoyed it Can i jus say dat ive dun dis 4 half a year!

  • Ive tried them in the past and they make me too drowsy during the day time.

More Sentences

Related Articles

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to -ive using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

IIVIVE

Words Ending With

EVEIVE

Unscrambles

-ive

Words Starting With - and Ending With E

Starts With I & Ends With EStarts With IV & Ends With EStarts With I & Ends With VE

Word Length

3 Letter Words3 Letter Words Starting With I3 Letter Words Ending With E