I. ˈkȯzəd.iv, -ətiv adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin causativus, from Latin causa + -atus -ate + -ivus -ive
1. : effective or operating as a cause or agent : causing
poverty as a causative factor in crime
2. of a linguistic form or set of linguistic forms : expressing cause
causative case
causative mood
specifically : indicating that the subject of a verb causes an act to be performed or a condition to come into being
the causative verb fell, meaning “cause to fall”
the causative suffix -en in darken, meaning “cause to be dark”
• caus·a·tive·ly adverb
• caus·a·tiv·i·ty ˌkȯzəˈtivəd.ē, -ətēˌ -i noun -es
II. noun
( -s )
: a causative word or form