formatif

French

Etymology

From Old French formatif, formative, from Medieval Latin formātīvus, from Latin fōrmātus + -īvus (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘doing’ or ‘related to doing’). Fōrmātus is the perfect passive participle of fōrmō (“to form, to shape”); further etymology uncertain, possibly related to Ancient Greek μορφή (morphḗ, “a form, shape”) (see further at that entry). By surface analysis, former +‎ -atif.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɔʁ.ma.tif/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Adjective

formatif (feminine formative, masculine plural formatifs, feminine plural formatives)

1. formative

Further reading

• “formatif”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.