demonstrative

demonstrative

See also: démonstrative

English

Etymology

From Middle English demonstratif, from Middle French démonstratif; equivalent to demonstrate +‎ -ive.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪˈmɒnstɹətɪv/, (nonstandard) /ˈdɛmənstɹeɪtɪv/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /dɪˈmɑnstɹətɪv/, /dəˈmɑnstɹətɪv/, (nonstandard) /ˈdɛmənstɹeɪtɪv/

Adjective

demonstrative (comparative more demonstrative, superlative most demonstrative)

1. that serves to demonstrate, show or prove
   • 1594–1597, Richard Hooker, J[ohn] S[penser], editor, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Will[iam] Stansby [for Matthew Lownes], published 1611, OCLC 931154958, (please specify the page):

     an argument necessary and demonstrative

2. given to open displays of emotion
   • 1783, Hugh Blair, Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres

     demonstrative eloquence

   • 1865, Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, Wives and Daughters, Chapter III:

     He had rather a contempt for demonstrative people, arising from his medical insight into the consequences to health of uncontrolled feeling.

3. (grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to

Derived terms

• demonstrative adjective
• demonstrative determiner
• demonstrative legacy
• demonstrative pronoun

 

Translations

that serves to demonstrate, show or prove

Armenian: ցուցադրական (hy) (cʿucʿadrakan) Bulgarian: показателен (bg) (pokazatelen), демонстративен (bg) (demonstrativen) Catalan: demostratiu (ca) Finnish: valaiseva (fi), demonstratiivinen (fi) French: démonstratif (fr) German: demonstrativ (de) Norman: dêmonstratif Portuguese: demonstrativo (pt), demonstrador, ilustrativo Romanian: demonstrativ (ro) m Russian: демонстрати́вный (ru) (demonstratívnyj), показа́тельный (ru) (pokazátelʹnyj) Spanish: demostrativo (es)

given to open displays of emotion

Bulgarian: нагледен (bg) (nagleden) Finnish: avomielinen (fi), avoin (fi) Greek: εκδηλωτικός (el) (ekdilotikós) Russian: нагля́дный (ru) (nagljádnyj)

(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to

Armenian: ցուցական (hy) (cʿucʿakan) Bulgarian: показателен (bg) (pokazatelen) Catalan: demostratiu (ca) Danish: demonstrativ Finnish: demonstratiivinen (fi) French: démonstratif (fr) German: demonstrativ (de) Greek: δεικτικός (el) (deiktikós) Ancient: δεικτικός (deiktikós) Icelandic: ábendingar- Irish: taispeántach Norman: dêmonstratif Norwegian: Norwegian Bokmål: påpekende Norwegian Nynorsk: påpeikande Portuguese: demonstrativo (pt) Romanian: demonstrativ (ro) m Russian: указа́тельный (ru) (ukazátelʹnyj) Spanish: demostrativo (es) Swahili: kionyeshi Welsh: dangosolyn m

Noun

demonstrative (plural demonstratives)

1. (grammar) A demonstrative word
   1. A demonstrative adjective.
   2. A demonstrative pronoun.

Derived terms

• pronoun demonstrative

Translations

demonstrative word

Finnish: demonstratiivi Irish: taispeántach m Walloon: mot d' mostraedje m

demonstrative adjective — see demonstrative adjective

demonstrative pronoun — see demonstrative pronoun

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German

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

demonstrative

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

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Latin

Adjective

dēmōnstrātīve

1. vocative masculine singular of dēmōnstrātīvus

References

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