I. di-ˈfi-nə-tiv adjective
Etymology: Middle English diffinityf, from Anglo-French diffinitive, from Latin definitivus, from definitus
Date: 14th century
1. : serving to provide a final solution or to end a situation
a definitive victory
2. : authoritative and apparently exhaustive
a definitive edition
3.
a. : serving to define or specify precisely
definitive laws
b. : serving as a perfect example : quintessential
a definitive bourgeois
4. : fully differentiated or developed
a definitive organ
5. of a postage stamp : issued as a regular stamp for the country or territory in which it is to be used
Synonyms: see conclusive
• de·fin·i·tive·ly adverb
• de·fin·i·tive·ness noun
II. noun
Date: 1951
: a definitive postage stamp — compare provisional