attributive
adjective/əˈtrɪbjətɪv/
/əˈtrɪbjətɪv/
(grammar)- (of adjectives or nouns) used before a noun to describe it
- In ‘the blue sky’ and ‘a family business’, ‘blue’ and ‘family’ are attributive.
Oxford Collocations DictionaryAttributive is used with these nouns:- adjective
Word Originmid 18th cent. (as a noun in the sense ‘a word expressing an attribute’): from French attributif, -ive, from attribut ‘an attribute’, from Latin attribuere ‘add to’, from ad- ‘to’ + tribuere ‘assign’.Want to learn more?
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attributive