attributives
|a-trib-u-tive-s|
🇺🇸
/əˈtrɪbjətɪvz/
🇬🇧
/əˈtrɪbjʊtɪvz/
(attributive)
serving as an attribute / modifier
Etymology
'attributive' originates from Latin, specifically the Late Latin word 'attributivus', where the prefix 'ad-' (appearing as 'at-') meant 'to, toward' and the root 'tribuere' meant 'to allot, give'.
'attributive' changed from Late Latin 'attributivus' into Old French/Medieval Latin forms (e.g. 'attributif'/'attributivus') and eventually became the modern English word 'attributive' through Middle English usage.
Initially it meant 'that which is assigned or pertaining to an attribute', and over time evolved into the grammatical sense 'used to denote a quality or to modify a noun (placed before the noun)'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of 'attributive': a word (often an adjective or determiner) used in attributive position to modify a noun (i.e., placed before the noun).
Attributives such as adjectives and determiners usually come before the nouns they modify.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 1
pertaining to or functioning as an attribute; used to describe a word that modifies another noun (for example, an 'attributive adjective' that appears before a noun). (This entry relates to the base form 'attributive'.)
Teachers discussed attributives in the grammar lesson to show how adjectives modify nouns.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/16 23:34