privative
9.9
A part added to a word, like un-, that shows the opposite meaning
- noun
- /ˈprɪvɪtɪv/
- Specialized
:
morfema privativo
- The prefix 'un-' is a common privative that indicates negation, as in 'unhappy'.
Examples
-
In linguistics, a privative morpheme can change the meaning of a word, such as 'incomplete'.
-
The term 'privative' describes affixes that remove specific qualities from a word.
-
This is agapeic surplus rather than a negation of hiddenness and privative unhiding.
Academic text (2017)
Synonyms
non-
vsprivative
1.8
A prefix that shows not or without something
is the general morpheme type rather than a single common English prefix
9.9
Letters added to the start of a Greek word to show not or without
is the broader morpheme class, not only Greek-derived prefixes
6.7
A suffix that makes a noun show that something is missing
is usually a prefix morpheme indicating negation, not a noun-forming suffix
Compounds
Surface Forms
privative singular
privatives plural
Etymology
Privative comes from the Latin verb privare, meaning 'to take away', and it shares the root with private, which means 'not public'. So, a privative as a noun (for example the prefix un-) is a small part added to a word to show 'not' or the absence of a quality.
