PASSIVE

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin passivus, from passus, past participle Date: 14th century 1. a. acted upon by an external agency, receptive to outside impressions or influences, b. asserting that the grammatical subject of a verb is subjected to or affected by the action represented by that verb , containing or yielding a ~ verb form, c. lacking in energy or will ; lethargic , tending not to take an active or dominant part, induced by an outside agency , 2. not active or operating ; inert , of, relating to, or making direct use of the sun's heat usually without the intervention of mechanical devices , latent , d. of, relating to, or characterized by a state of chemical inactivity, not involving expenditure of chemical energy , exhibiting no gain or control, relating to the detection of an object through its emission of energy or sound , 3. receiving or enduring without resistance ; submissive , existing or occurring without being active, open, or direct , of, relating to, or being business activity in which the investor does not actively participate in the generation of income, see: inactive ~ly adverb ~ness noun passivity noun II. noun Date: 1530 a ~ verb form, the ~ voice of a language