Causative: meaning, definitions and examples

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causative

 

[ ˈkɔːzətɪv ]

Adjective
Context #1 | Adjective

causative agent

The term 'causative' refers to something that causes another thing to happen. In linguistics, it often denotes a grammatical construction that expresses a cause-effect relationship. For example, a causative verb can indicate that one person causes another to perform an action. The word can also be applied in various scientific contexts, highlighting factors that lead to specific outcomes.

Synonyms

causal, causative factor, inductive

Examples of usage

  • The causative agent of the disease was identified.
  • In the sentence, 'I had him fix the car', 'had' is a causative verb.
  • The causative construction can be complex in some languages.

Translations

Translations of the word "causative" in other languages:

🇵🇹 causativo

🇮🇳 कारणकारी

🇩🇪 kausativ

🇮🇩 kausatif

🇺🇦 каузативний

🇵🇱 kazać

🇯🇵 使役の

🇫🇷 causatif

🇪🇸 causativo

🇹🇷 nedensel

🇰🇷 사유의

🇸🇦 سببى

🇨🇿 kauzativní

🇸🇰 kauzatívny

🇨🇳 使役的

🇸🇮 kauzativni

🇮🇸 orsakir

🇰🇿 себептік

🇬🇪 კაუზატიური

🇦🇿 səbəblik

🇲🇽 causativo

Word origin

The word 'causative' originates from the Latin term 'causativus', which means 'contributing to a cause'. This Latin term itself is derived from 'causa', meaning 'cause'. The use of 'causative' in the context of linguistics, particularly to describe verb forms that show a cause-effect relationship, became more prominent in the 19th and 20th centuries. The concept has been utilized across various disciplines, including philosophy, logic, and science, to explore the relationship between different phenomena and their causes. In modern usage, 'causative' is frequently applied in grammatical discussions, as well as in the study of social sciences to describe agents or factors that instigate change or effect in a given context.

Word Frequency Rank

At position #14,604, this word is part of sophisticated English vocabulary. It's useful for academic or professional contexts where precise language is needed.