Fromattribute +-ive.
attributive (comparativemoreattributive,superlativemostattributive)
- (grammar, of a word or phrase) Modifying another word, typically anoun, while in the same phrase.
- Antonym:predicative
In "this big house",big isattributive, whereas in "this house is big", it ispredicative. In "this tiger is a man-eater,"man is anattributive noun.
1988, Andrew Radford,Transformational grammar: a first course, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, page197:Since bothAttributes andAdjuncts recursively expand N-bar into N-bar, it seems clear that the two have essentially the same function, so thatAttributes are simply pronominal Adjuncts (though we shall continue to follow tradition and refer toattributive premodifiers asAttributes rather thanAdjuncts).
2005, Thomas Burns McArthur, Tom McArthur, Roshan McArthur,Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language[1]:ATTRIBUTIVE NOUN. A noun that modifies another noun:steel insteel bridge;London inLondon house.
2013, Sebastian Loebner,Understanding Semantics[2]:Grammatically, three ways of using adjectives can be distinguished: theattributive use, the predicative use and the adverbial use. We will only deal with theattributive and the predicative use here. In theattributive use, the adjective, within an NP, is attached to the head noun, e.g.a dubious company,a red balloon,the stupid driver.
- Attributing; characterized by attributing;effectingattribution.
1806, Benjamin Dawson,Philologia Anglicana: or, a Philological and synonymical dictionary of the English language["A-Adornment"], page36:To hate, &c.] Or thus, To be affected with hatred and horrour at. Forabhor, though arranged in our dictionaries among verbs active, attributes anaffection rather than anact of the mind. As the mind however is anactive principle, all verbsattributive of what passes in the mind, even those we callneuter, attribute at the same time some mentalact or operation. Togrieve is reckoned a verb neuter; yet in grieving at some misfortune, the mind is not less active than it is inabhorring orloathing an object; which latter verbs are called verbsactive.
1808, Charles Wilkins,A Grammar of the Sanskrita Language, page516:* 947 आल and आट put after वाक् Speech, with it form adjectivesattributive of much bad or improper speaking; as वाचाल, or वाचाट Who utters much bad language.
* 948[…] affixed to nouns, with them form adjectivesattributive of detraction, […]
2007 November 21, Robert E. MacLaury, Galina V. Paramei, Don Dedrick,Anthropology of Color: Interdisciplinary multilevel modeling, John Benjamins Publishing,→ISBN, page201:Notably, along with beingattributive of color, some of those adjectives are used to characterize sound or intensity of sensation (e.g. pain may behele 'shrill' or tume 'dull'), cognitive abilities (such as hearing, vision and acumen), […]
of, or being an attributive
having the nature of an attribute
attributive (pluralattributives)
- (grammar) An attributiveword orphrase (see above),contrasted withpredicative orsubstantive.
In "this big house,"big is anattributive, while in "this house is big," it is a predicative.
a word or phrase that modifies a noun and is part of the noun's noun phrase
attributive
- femininesingular ofattributif
attributive
- inflection ofattributiv:
- strong/mixednominative/accusativefemininesingular
- strongnominative/accusativeplural
- weaknominative all-gendersingular
- weakaccusativefeminine/neutersingular
attributive
- feminineplural ofattributivo
