n.
Pronunciation: ' pa-siv
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin passivus, from passus, past participle
Date: 14th century
1 a (1) : acted upon by an external agency (2) : receptive to outside impressions or influences b (1) : asserting that the grammatical subject of a verb is subjected to or affected by the action represented by that verb <the passive voice> (2) : containing or yielding a passive verb form c (1) : lacking in energy or will : LETHARGIC (2) : tending not to take an active or dominant part d : induced by an outside agency < passive exercise of a paralyzed leg>
2 a : not active or operating : INERT b : of, relating to, or making direct use of the sun's heat usually without the intervention of mechanical devices <a passive solar house> c : LATENT d (1) : of, relating to, or characterized by a state of chemical inactivity especially : resistant to corrosion (2) : not involving expenditure of chemical energy < passive transport across a cell membrane> e of an electronic element : exhibiting no gain or control f : relating to the detection of an object through its emission of energy or sound < passive sonar>
3 a : receiving or enduring without resistance : SUBMISSIVE b : existing or occurring without being active, open, or direct < passive support>
4 : of, relating to, or being business activity in which the investor does not actively participate in the generation of income
synonyms see INACTIVE
– pas · sive · ly adverb
– pas · sive · ness noun
– pas · siv · i · ty \ pa- ' si-v ə -t ē \ noun