FORMATIVE

formative, shaping, plastic

(adjective) forming or capable of forming or molding or fashioning; “a formative influence”; “a formative experience”; “the plastic forces of nature”

formative

(adjective) capable of forming new cells and tissues; “a formative zone in developing bone”

formative

(noun) minimal language unit that has a syntactic (or morphological) function

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Adjective

formative (comparative more formative, superlative most formative)

Of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something.

Capable of forming something.

(biology) Capable of producing new tissue.

(grammar) Pertaining to the inflection of words.

(education) Denoting forms of assessment used to guide learning rather than to quantify educational outcomes.

Noun

formative (plural formatives)

(grammar) A language unit that has morphological function.

Source: Wiktionary

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Form"a*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. formatif.]

1. Giving form; having the power of giving form; plastic; as, the formative arts. The meanest plant can not be raised without seed, by any formative residing in the soil. Bentley.

2. (Gram.)

Definition: Serving to form; derivative; not radical; as, a termination merely formative.

3. (Biol.)

Definition: Capable of growth and development; germinal; as, living or formative matter.

Form"a*tive, n. (Gram.) (a) That which serves merely to give form, and is no part of the radical, as the prefix or the termination of a word. (b) A word formed in accordance with some rule or usage, as from a root.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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