Associations to the word «Formative»

Wiktionary

FORMATIVE, adjective. Of or pertaining to the formation and subsequent growth of something.
FORMATIVE, adjective. Capable of forming something.
FORMATIVE, adjective. (biology) Capable of producing new tissue.
FORMATIVE, adjective. (grammar) Pertaining to the inflection of words.
FORMATIVE, noun. (grammar) A language unit that has morphological function.

Dictionary definition

FORMATIVE, noun. Minimal language unit that has a syntactic (or morphological) function.
FORMATIVE, adjective. Capable of forming new cells and tissues; "a formative zone in developing bone".
FORMATIVE, adjective. Forming or capable of forming or molding or fashioning; "a formative influence"; "a formative experience".

Wise words

A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and time in which it is used.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.