frequentative
/fɹɪˈkwɛntətɪv/ adjective, noun
Forms frequentatives freq.
- adjective (grammar) Serving to express repetition of an action. “"Crackle" is an English frequentative verb derived from "crack".”
- noun (grammar) Any of a subclass of imperfective verbs that denote a repeated action, no longer productive in English, but found in e.g. Finnish, Latin, Russian, and Turkish.
Synonyms
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English frequentatyf, from Late Latin frequentātīvus, from Latin frequentāre (“to do or use often”), from frequēns (“often, regular, constant, repeated, assiduous”) + -ō.
By surface analysis, frequent + -ative.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Serving to express the frequent repetition of an action; as, a frequentative verb.
- adjective A frequentative verb.
Etymology [L. frequentativus: cf. F. fréquentatif.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “frequentative”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details