appositional
1
8.9
- adjective
- /ˌæpəˈzɪʃənl/
- Specialized
- In her grammar lesson, the teacher explained the function of appositional phrases, demonstrating how they clarify the noun they follow.
Examples
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Both perspectives were legitimate, even though they were directly appositional.
Academic text (2007) -
Eliminate the reading of the appositional last line.
Academic text (2006) -
The temporal bone generally increases in size after birth by appositional growth.
Academic text (1998) -
Revision surgery was undertaken in 22% of patients because of appositional growth of the temporal bone.
Academic text (2014) -
This appositional visual effect may reinforce the reader's awareness that great loss sometimes befalls the innocent.
Academic text (2007) -
An appositional structure can enhance a sentence by providing additional information about a noun in a concise manner.
-
When writing, using appositional elements can make your descriptions more vivid and informative by adding detail directly related to the subject.
Synonyms
1
8.9
A word or phrase placed next to a noun to identify it
Surface Forms
Morphology
appositional = apposition (transparent) = apposit + ion + al
The adjective is formed regularly from the noun 'apposition' with the suffix '-al', so the meaning 'relating to apposition' follows directly.
Etymology
Appositional comes from the Latin root ponere meaning 'to place' and is related to the common word position ('place'). So an appositional word is 'placed beside' another word to give extra information, which is why appositional describes nouns or phrases set next to each other in a sentence.