adjective / noun
causative
KAW-zuh-tiv/ˈkɔːzətɪv/
Bringing an action or event about.
Each falling domino has a causative role in toppling its neighbor.
Etymology
A cause becomes a quality here: something causative is effective in bringing something about. In grammar, the same idea describes a form that expresses causing an action.
In context
Broad-spectrum antibiotics while waiting for culture results. Once the causative organism is identified, more specific antibiotics will be used.
More examples
- The laboratory searches for the causative organism.
- Students practice a causative construction meaning to make someone leave.
- The grammar chapter compares causatives across several languages.
Forms
causative · causatives
Similar words
- causal
- Can merely relate to cause and effect rather than producing them.
- productive
- Creates an outcome without necessarily the grammatical sense.