— formatively , adv. — formativeness , n.
/fawr"meuh tiv/ , adj.
1. giving form or shape; forming; shaping; fashioning; molding: a formative process in manufacturing.
2. pertaining to formation or development: a child's most formative years.
3. Biol.
a. capable of developing new cells or tissue by cell division and differentiation: formative tissue.
b. concerned with the formation of an embryo, organ, or the like.
4. Gram. pertaining to a formative.
n.
5. Gram. a derivational affix, particularly one that determines the part of speech of the derived word, as -ness, in loudness, hardness, etc.
6. Ling. (in generative grammar) any element, as a word, affix, or inflectional ending, functioning as a minimal syntactic unit that can be used in forming larger constructions.
[ 1480-90; formatif. See FORMATION, -IVE ]
Syn. 2. receptive, impressionable, susceptible.