{Optative mood} (Gram.), that mood or form of a verb, as in Greek, Sanskrit, etc., in which a wish or desire is expressed. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
Optative — Op ta*tive, n. [Cf. F. optatif.] 1. Something to be desired. [R.] Bacon. [1913 Webster] 2. (Gram.) The optative mood; also, a verb in the optative mood. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
optative — [äp′tə tiv] adj. [Fr optatif < LL optativus < pp. of L optare: see OPTION] 1. expressing wish or desire 2. designating or of the grammatical mood, as in Greek, which expresses wish or desire n. 1. the optative mood 2. a verb in this mood… … English World dictionary
optative — index solicitous Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
optative — grammatical mood expressing wish or desire, 1520s, from M.Fr. optatif (15c.), from L.L. optativus, from L. optatus, pp. of optare (see OPTION (Cf. option)) … Etymology dictionary
optative — 1. adjective a) expressing a wish or a choice. b) related or pertaining to the optative mood. 2. noun a) a mood of verbs found in some languages (e.g. Old Prussian, Latin), used to express a w … Wiktionary
optative — optatively, adv. /op teuh tiv/, Gram. adj. 1. designating or pertaining to a verb mood, as in Greek, that has among its functions the expression of a wish, as Greek íoimen may we go, we wish we might go. n. 2. the optative mood. 3. a verb in the… … Universalium
optative — op•ta•tive [[t]ˈɒp tə tɪv[/t]] adj. 1) gram. of or pertaining to a verb mood, as in Greek, used to express a wish or desire 2) gram. the optative mood 3) gram. a verb in the optative mood • Etymology: 1520–30; < LL optātīvus= L optāt(us) (ptp … From formal English to slang
optative — adj. & n. Gram. adj. expressing a wish. n. the optative mood. Phrases and idioms: optative mood a set of verb forms expressing a wish etc., distinct esp. in Sanskrit and Greek. Derivatives: optatively adv. Etymology: F optatif ive f. LL optativus … Useful english dictionary
optative — adjective Date: 15th century 1. a. of, relating to, or constituting a verbal mood that is expressive of wish or desire b. of, relating to, or constituting a sentence that is expressive of wish or hope 2. expressing desire or wish • optative noun… … New Collegiate Dictionary
optative — ● optatif, optative adjectif (bas latin optativus, du latin classique optare, souhaiter) Se dit d une forme linguistique qui exprime le souhait … Encyclopédie Universelle
