Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “decorative” come from?

Decorative comes from Latin decorativus, formed from decorare meaning "to adorn" and the Latin suffix -ivus, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European deḱ- meaning "to take or accept."

decorative (English): That serves to decorate; A plant, tile, etc....

Definitions

  1. That serves to decorate; A plant, tile, etc....

Ancestry of “decorative”, step by step

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

Words derived from “decorative”

  • decoratively
  • decorativeness
  • undecorative
  • nondecorative
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -wós →