SUBJUNCTIVE


Meaning of SUBJUNCTIVE in English

/ səbˈdʒʌŋktɪv; NAmE / noun

( grammar ) the form (or mood ) of a verb that expresses wishes, possibility or uncertainty ; a verb in this form :

The verb is in the subjunctive.

In 'I wish I were taller', 'were' is a subjunctive.

►  sub·junct·ive adjective :

the subjunctive mood

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WORD ORIGIN

mid 16th cent.: from French subjonctif , -ive or late Latin subjunctivus , from subjungere (from sub- in addition + jungere to join), rendering Greek hupotaktikos subjoined (add comments at the end of a speech or text).

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.