Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Functioning as an agent or cause.
  • adjective Expressing causation. Used of a verb or verbal affix.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Effective as a cause or an agent; causal.
  • In grammar, expressing causation: as, a causative verb: for example, to fell (cause to fall), to set (cause to sit); the causative conjugation of a verb, such as is common in Sanskrit. Also sometimes applied to the case by which cause is expressed, as the Latin ablative.
  • noun A form of verb or noun having causative value.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Effective, as a cause or agent; causing.
  • adjective Expressing a cause or reason; causal.
  • noun A word which expresses or suggests a cause.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Acting as a cause.
  • noun linguistics An expression of an agent causing or forcing a patient to perform an action (or to be in a certain condition).

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective producing an effect

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin causativus ("causative, pertaining to a lawsuit, accusative"), from causa ("cause"); see cause.

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Examples

  • But atmospheric pollution has not normally been identified as a causative factor in diabetes and obesity, two of the nation's major health scourges -- that is until recently.

    Edward Flattau: Pollution Time Bomb Edward Flattau 2011

  • The TB bacterium was first identified as the causative agent of tuberculosis in 1882.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

  • The TB bacterium was first identified as the causative agent of tuberculosis in 1882.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

  • The TB bacterium was first identified as the causative agent of tuberculosis in 1882.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

  • Prions, which are a special class of proteins, are best known as causative factors for mad cow and other neurodegenerative diseases.

    Medindia Health News 2010

  • The TB bacterium was first identified as the causative agent of tuberculosis in 1882.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

  • This is perhaps the best answer to give to the question, so much discussed by the old logicians, as to what kind of causative influence the premises exert on the conclusion.

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 12: Philip II-Reuss 1840-1916 1913

  • However, a statistical genetic association may be observed when the implicated SNP is in strong linkage disequilibrium with another ungenotyped, but "causative," SNP, often one that is in close proximity to the implicated SNP.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

  • However, a statistical genetic association may be observed when the implicated SNP is in strong linkage disequilibrium with another ungenotyped, but "causative," SNP, often one that is in close proximity to the implicated SNP.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

  • However, a statistical genetic association may be observed when the implicated SNP is in strong linkage disequilibrium with another ungenotyped, but "causative," SNP, often one that is in close proximity to the implicated SNP.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

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