/ frɪˈkwentətɪv; NAmE / adjective
( linguistics ) ( of verbs ) expressing an action that is done repeatedly or a lot :
'Chatter' is originally a frequentative form of 'chat'.
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: from French fréquentatif , -ive or Latin frequentativus , from frequens , frequent- crowded, frequent.