Standard Lemma guide

postformative

adj · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

adj

Meaning 1

Forming or affecting something that comes before.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Occurring after the formation (chiefly written post-formative, said in Islamic studies of the period following the Golden Age of Islam 786–861 CE).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A formative element at the end.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From post- (prefix meaning ‘after’) + formative, modelled after preformative.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: postformatiivinen — attached to the end of a word as a formative element
  • German: postformativ — attached to the end of a word as a formative element
  • Italian: postformativo — attached to the end of a word as a formative element
  • German: Postformativ — formative at the end