definitive

See also: définitive

English

Etymology

From Middle French définitif.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪˈfɪn.ɪ.tɪv/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• (General American, General Australian) IPA^(key): /dɪˈfɪn.ə.tɪv/, [dɪˈfɪn.ə.ɾɪv]

Adjective

definitive (comparative more definitive, superlative most definitive)

1. explicitly defined
2. conclusive or decisive

   definitive vote

   She will have the definitive say in the matter, after consulting her board of directors.

3. definite, authoritative and complete
   • 1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC:

     A strict and definitive truth.

   • 1838, William H[ickling] Prescott, History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, the Catholic. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), Boston, Mass.: American Stationers’ Company; John B. Russell, →OCLC:

     Some definitive […] scheme of reconciliation.

4. limiting; determining

   a definitive word

5. (philately) general, not issued for commemorative purposes
6. (obsolete) Determined; resolved.
   • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], line 424:

     Never crave him. We are definitive.

Derived terms

• definitive agreement
• definitive host
• definitively
• definitive treatment

 

Translations

explicitly defined

• Basque: behin-betiko
• Bulgarian: експлицитен (bg) (ekspliciten)
• Catalan: definitiu (ca)
• Finnish: definitiivinen, yksikäsitteisesti määritelty
• Italian: definitivo (it)
• Scottish Gaelic: deimhinnte
• Spanish: definitivo (es)

conclusive or decisive

• Bulgarian: решителен (bg) (rešitelen)
• Catalan: definitiu (ca)
• Dutch: definitief (nl)
• Finnish: lopullinen (fi), ratkaiseva (fi), definitiivinen
• French: définitif (fr) m, définitive (fr) f
• German: endgültig (de)
• Italian: definitivo (it)
• Russian: оконча́тельный (ru) (okončátelʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: deimhinnte
• Spanish: definitivo (es), decisivo (es)

definite, authoritative and complete

• Bulgarian: окончателен (bg) (okončatelen)
• Catalan: definitiu (ca)
• Finnish: lopullinen (fi), definitiivinen
• Italian: definitivo (it)
• Scottish Gaelic: deimhinnte
• Spanish: autorizado (es), oficial (es)

limiting; determining

• Finnish: määräinen (fi) (in linguistics)

philately: not issued for commemorative purposes

• Finnish: yleis-

Noun

definitive (plural definitives)

1. (grammar) a word, such as a definite article or demonstrative pronoun, that defines or limits something
2. (philately) an ordinary postage stamp that is part of a series of all denominations or is reprinted as needed to meet demand

   Synonym: definitive stamp

Translations

philately: ordinary postage stamp

• Danish: dagligmærke
• Finnish: yleispostimerkki
• French: timbre d’usage courant
• German: Dauermarke (de) f

Esperanto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /definiˈtive/
• Rhymes: -ive

Adverb

definitive

1. definitively

German

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

definitive

1. inflection of definitiv:
   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

Adjective

definitive f pl

1. feminine plural of definitivo

Anagrams

• definitevi

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /deː.fiː.niːˈtiː.u̯e/, [d̪eːfiːniːˈt̪iːu̯ɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /de.fi.niˈti.ve/, [d̪efiniˈt̪iːve]

Adjective

dēfīnītīve

1. vocative masculine singular of dēfīnītīvus

References

• “definitive”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• definitive in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette