Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
augmentative [awg-men-tuh-tiv] ExamplesWord Origin adjective
- serving to augment.
- Grammar. pertaining to or productive of a form denoting increased size or intensity. In Spanish the augmentative suffix -ón is added to a word (as silla “chair”) to indicate increased size, as in sillón “armchair.”
noun
- Grammar. an augmentative element or formation.
Origin of augmentative 1495–1505; augment + -ative; replacing augmentatif Middle FrenchRelated formsaug·men·ta·tive·ly, adverbnon·aug·ment·a·tive, adjective, nounun·aug·ment·a·tive, adjective Examples from the Web for augmentative Historical Examples of augmentative
A diminutive hardly seems the right kind of word under the circumstances; an augmentative would, perhaps, have been better.
A History of Art in Ancient Egypt, Vol. II (of 2)
Georges Perrot
For the word wizard, from witch, see the section on augmentative forms.
A Handbook of the English Language
Robert Gordon Latham
Note:—The rle of augmentative and diminutive suffixes in English is vastly less important than in Italian.
Montessori Elementary Materials
Maria Montessori
The augmentative forms, pre-eminently common in the Italian language, often carry with them a depreciating sense.
A Handbook of the English Language
Robert Gordon Latham
The MS. has Garees, a word not to be found in the dictionary, but evidently an augmentative of gara, a heron.
A Journal of the First Voyage of Vasco da Gama 1497-1499
Unknown
British Dictionary definitions for augmentative augmentative adjective
- tending or able to augment
- grammar
- denoting an affix that may be added to a word to convey the meaning large or great; for example, the suffix -ote in Spanish, where hombre means man and hombrote big man
- denoting a word formed by the addition of an augmentative affix
noun
- grammar an augmentative word or affix
Compare (for senses 2, 3): diminutive Derived Formsaugmentatively, adverb Word Origin and History for augmentative adj.
c.1500, from Middle French augmentatif (14c.), from Latin augmentat-, stem of augmentare (see augment).