n.
Pronunciation: di- ' stri-byü-tiv, -by ə -
Function: adjective
Date: 15th century
1 : of or relating to distribution: as a : dealing a proper share to each of a group b : diffusing more or less evenly
2 of a word : referring singly and without exception to the members of a group < each, either, and none are distributive >
3 a : being an operation (as multiplication in a(b + c) = ab + ac ) that produces the same result when operating on the whole mathematical expression as when operating on each part and collecting the results b : being or relating to a rule or property concerning a distributive operation <the distributive property of multiplication with respect to addition>
– dis · trib · u · tive · ly adverb
– dis · trib · u · tiv · i · ty \ - ˌ stri-byü- ' ti-v ə -t ē \ noun