Where does “-ative” come from?

-ative (English) comes from English -ive, from Middle English -yf, from Old French -if, from Latin -īvus, from Proto-Indo-European -iHwós, from Proto-Indo-European -wós — Creates adjectives from verb stems.

-ative (English): of, related to, or associated with the thing...

Definitions

  1. of, related to, or associated with the thing...

Ancestry of “-ative”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-iveAn adjective suffix signifying relating or...
2Middle English-yfA suffix designating adjectives, adverbs and...
3Old French-if-ive
4Latin-īvusAdjective suffix
5Proto-Indo-European-iHwós—
6Proto-Indo-European-wósCreates adjectives from verb stems

Words derived from “-ative”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -wós →Every word from Latin -īvus →Every word from English -ive →