formative

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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfɔːmətɪv/
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• Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• Canada, General-American: /ˈfoɹmətɪv/
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• Canada, General-American: [-ɾɪv]
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• Australian: /ˈfoːmətɪv/
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• Australian: [-ɾɪv]
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• New-Zealand: /ˈfoːmətəv/
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• New-Zealand: [-ɾəv]
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• rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)mətɪv
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• CMU ARPABET: F AO1 R M AH0 T IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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From Middle English formatyve, formatif (“having the ability to form”), from Old French formatif, formative (modern French formatif), from Medieval Latin formātīvus, from Latin fōrmātus + -īvus (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘doing’ or ‘related to doing’). Fōrmātus is the perfect passive participle of fōrmō (“to form, to shape”), from fōrma (“a form, shape”); further etymology uncertain, possibly related to Ancient Greek μορφή (morphḗ, “a form, shape”) (see further at that entry). By surface analysis, form + -ative.

Etymology 2 sense 1 (“thing which causes formation to occur”) is derived from the noun. Etymology 2 sense 2.1 (“language unit”) is borrowed from German Formativ, a noun use of formativ (adjective), from Middle French formatif, from Old French formatif (see etymology 1).

44 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Catalan: formatiu — capable of forming something
• Finnish: muotoaja — capable of forming something
• Indonesian: formatif — capable of forming something
• Latin: operātīvus — capable of forming something
• Polish: twórczy — capable of forming something
• Finnish: kudosta muodostava — capable of producing new tissue
• Finnish: formatiivinen — pertaining to the formation of words
• Finnish: sanojen muodostukseen liittyvä — pertaining to the formation of words
• Indonesian: formatif — pertaining to the formation of words
• Russian: словообразующий (slovoobrazujuščij) — pertaining to the formation of words
• Catalan: formatiu — of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something
• Finnish: kehitys- — of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something
• Finnish: kasvu- — of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something
• Finnish: muovaava — of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something
• French: formatif — of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something
• French: formateur — of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something
• Georgian: წარმომქმნელი (c̣armomkmneli) — of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something
• German: bildend — of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something
• Indonesian: formatif — of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something
• Italian: formativo — of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something
• Italian: formatore — of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something
• Polish: twórczy — of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something
• Romanian: formativ — of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something
• Russian: образова́тельный (obrazovátelʹnyj) — of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something
• Spanish: formativo — of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something
• Spanish: formador — of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something
• Swedish: formativ — of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something
• Finnish: formatiivinen — of a form of assessment: used to guide learning rather than to quantify educational outcomes
• Finnish: oppimisen — of a form of assessment: used to guide learning rather than to quantify educational outcomes
• Indonesian: formatif — of a form of assessment: used to guide learning rather than to quantify educational outcomes
• Finnish: muotoaja — thing which causes formation to occur
• Czech: formant — language unit that has a morphological function
• Finnish: formatiivi — language unit that has a morphological function
• French: formans — language unit that has a morphological function
• French: formant — language unit that has a morphological function
• German: Formativ — language unit that has a morphological function
• German: Formans — language unit that has a morphological function
• Indonesian: formatif — language unit that has a morphological function
• Polish: formant — language unit that has a morphological function
• Russian: формати́в (formatív) — language unit that has a morphological function
• Russian: форма́нт (formánt) — language unit that has a morphological function
• Serbo-Croatian: фо̀рмант — language unit that has a morphological function
• Serbo-Croatian: fòrmant — language unit that has a morphological function
• Spanish: formante — language unit that has a morphological function