predicative
|pred-i-ca-tive|
/ˈprɛdɪkətɪv/
relating to the predicate
Etymology
'predicative' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'praedicativus', where 'prae-' meant 'before' and 'dicare/dicere' meant 'to say' or 'to proclaim'.
'predicative' changed from Late Latin 'praedicativus' into Old French 'prédicatif' and Middle English forms such as 'predicatif', eventually becoming the modern English 'predicative'.
Initially it meant 'serving to proclaim or to predicate', and over time it narrowed to its current grammatical sense of 'relating to or functioning as the predicate of a sentence'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a word or expression that functions as a predicate or occupies the predicate position in a clause (often called a 'predicative').
Adjectives used after linking verbs are often called predicatives.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 1
used or functioning as a predicate (occurring after a linking verb to ascribe a property to the subject); relating to the predicate of a sentence.
In the sentence 'The sky is blue,' 'blue' is predicative.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adverb 1
in a manner relating to the predicate; as a predicative.
The phrase was used predicatively to describe the subject.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/05 05:23