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productive. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
productive, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
productive in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
productive you have here. The definition of the word
productive will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
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English
Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin productivus, equivalent to product + -ive.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pɹəˈdʌk.tɪv/, /pɹəˈdʌk.təv/
Adjective
productive (comparative more productive, superlative most productive)
- Capable of producing something, especially in abundance; fertile.
- Yielding good or useful results; constructive.
- Of, or relating to the creation of goods or services.
- (linguistics, of an affix or word construction rule) Consistently applicable to any of an open set of words.
1988, Andrew Radford, Transformational grammar: a first course, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, page 138:Moreover, this relationship is a productive one, in the sense that when new Adjectives are created (e.g. ginormous concocted out of gigantic and enormous), then the corresponding Adverb form (in this case ginormously) can also be used. And in those exceptional cases where Adverbs do not end in -ly, they generally have the same form as the corresponding Adjective, as with hard, fast, etc.
- (medicine) Of a cough, producing mucus or sputum from the respiratory tract.
- (medicine) Of inflammation, producing new tissue.
- (set theory) A type of set of natural numbers, related to mathematical logic.
a productive set
Usage notes
In English, the plural suffix “-es” is productive because it can be appended to an open set of words (singular nouns ending in sibilants). Thus, if a new word with that pattern becomes an English noun (e.g. *examplex), it would have a default plural (e.g. *examplexes) because “-es” is productive.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
capable of producing something
yielding good or useful results; constructive
of, or relating to the creation of goods or services
linguistics: consistently applicable to any of an open set of words
medicine: producing mucus or sputum
medicine: producing new tissue
Translations to be checked
References
- “productive”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “productive”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
French
Adjective
productive
- feminine singular of productif
Latin
Pronunciation
Adjective
prōductīve
- vocative masculine singular of prōductīvus