— determinatively , adv. — determinativeness , n.
/di terr"meuh nay'tiv, -neuh tiv/ , adj.
1. serving to determine; determining.
n.
2. something that determines.
3. a graphic symbol used in ideographic writing to denote a semantic class and written next to a word to indicate in what semantic category that word is to be understood, thus at times distinguishing homographs.
[ 1645-55; prob. determinativus fixed, LL: crucial (of a disease), equiv. to L determinat ( us ) (see DETERMINATE) + -ivus -IVE ]