Wiktionary

operative

See also: opérative

English

edit

Etymology

edit

From Middle French operatif (modern French opératif).

Pronunciation

edit
  • IPA(key): /ˈɒpəɹətɪv/, (colloquial) /ˈɒpɹətɪv/

Adjective

edit

operative (comparative more operative, superlative most operative)

  1. Effectual or important.
    He's usually in a good mood — the operative word there being "usually". Today was a disaster.
  2. Functional, in working order.
  3. Having the power of acting; hence, exerting force, physical or moral; active in the production of effects.
    an operative motive
    • 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London:
      It holds in all operative principles.
    • 1988 April 2, Phillip Brian Harper, “Lesbians and gay men of color, speak out!”, in Gay Community News, page 9:
      This call is operative not merely on the level of abstract theory.
  4. Producing the appropriate or designed effect; efficacious.
    an operative dose, rule, or penalty
  5. Based upon, or consisting of, a surgical operation or operations. [from 18th c.]
    operative surgery

Derived terms

edit
edit

Translations

edit

Noun

edit

operative (plural operatives)

  1. An employee or other worker with some particular function or skill.
  2. A spy, secret agent, or detective.
  3. A participant in an operation.

Translations

edit

References

edit

Anagrams

edit

German

edit

Pronunciation

edit
  • IPA(key): [opəʁaˈtiːvə], [ɔpəʁaˈtiːvə]
  • Audio:(file)

Adjective

edit

operative

  1. inflection of operativ:
    1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
    2. strong nominative/accusative plural
    3. weak nominative all-gender singular
    4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

edit

Adjective

edit

operative

  1. feminine plural of operativo

Anagrams

edit

Latin

edit

Adjective

edit

operātīve

  1. vocative masculine singular of operātīvus

Norwegian Bokmål

edit

Adjective

edit

operative

  1. inflection of operativ:
    1. definite singular
    2. plural

Norwegian Nynorsk

edit

Adjective

edit

operative

  1. inflection of operativ:
    1. definite singular
    2. plural

Swedish

edit

Adjective

edit

operative

  1. definite natural masculine singular of operativ
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=operative&oldid=79616590"