Meanings
- not comparableBeing a name.
From the fact that this was the most noticeable feature in their costume, the name came naturally to be the denominative term of the tribe.
1885, William Philo Clark, The Indian Sign Language, page 283 - not comparablePossessing, or capable of possessing, a distinct denomination or designation; denominable.
The least denominative part of time is a second.
1678, J. Hawkins, Cocker's Arithm., ii. 29 - not comparablegrammarDeriving from a noun, or from an adjective, such as the verb destruct from the noun destruction.
Synonyms: denominal
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveDeriving from a noun, or from an adjective, such as the verb destruct from the noun destruction.
nounA word, often a verb, that is derived from a noun or adjective.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*de
- Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
- Proto-Italic*dē
- Latindē
- Latindē-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁nómn̥
- Proto-Italic*nōmn̥
- Latinnōmen
- Latinnōminō
- Latindēnōminō
- Late Latindēnōminātīvus
- Englishdenominative
From Late Latin dēnōminātīvus, a calque of Ancient Greek παρώνυμος (parṓnumos, “derivative”). It originally had the meaning “derived”, but in its grammatical sense, it has developed the meaning “from a noun”, perhaps a reinterpretation of the Latin morphemes that it consists of: the preposition dē (“from”) and the stem of nōmen (“name, noun”).
More words from Late Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian нарицателен
- нарицателен (naricatelen)being a name
Catalan denominatiu
- denominatiuderiving from a noun
Czech denominativum
- denominativumword that is derived from a noun or adjective
Finnish denominaalinen, nominikantainen
- denominaalinenderiving from a noun
- nominikantainenderiving from a noun
- denominaaliword that is derived from a noun or adjective
- nominijohdannainenword that is derived from a noun or adjective
French dénominal, dénominal
- dénominalderiving from a noun
- dénominalword that is derived from a noun or adjective
Greek μετονοματικός
- μετονοματικός (metonomatikós)deriving from a noun
Italian denominale, denominativo
- denominalederiving from a noun
- denominativoderiving from a noun
- denominaleword that is derived from a noun or adjective
- denominativoword that is derived from a noun or adjective
Polish odimienny, odrzeczownikowy
- odimiennybeing a name
- odrzeczownikowyderiving from a noun
- słowo odrzeczownikoweword that is derived from a noun or adjective
Russian нарица́тельный
- нарица́тельный (naricátelʹnyj)being a name
Spanish denominativo, denominativo
- denominativoderiving from a noun
- denominativoword that is derived from a noun or adjective
Cite this entry
denominative. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/denominative
“denominative.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/denominative. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “denominative,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/denominative.
Source: denominative on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.