Adjective

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈæd͡ʒ.ɪk.tɪv/

Definitions

1. A word that describes or modifies a noun by providing additional information about its qualities, characteristics, or attributes
2. A type of word used to provide detailed descriptions or modifications about nouns, highlighting their specific qualities or characteristics
3. This is a word class that serves to modify or describe a noun, imparting essential information regarding its properties or attributes

Etymology: The word "adjective" carries a Greek idea in its Latin clothing. Ancient Greek grammarians called these words "epithetikón", meaning "added", because they were thought of as something attached to a noun to add to it. The Latin "adiectivus" was a translation of that Greek term rather than an independent coinage: it was built from "adiciō", "to add" or "to throw towards", from "ad-" ("to, towards") and "iaciō", "to throw". So the grammatical label literally describes a word thrown onto another. The Greek source is also the root of "epithet", a word that today usually means a descriptive phrase attached to a name, as in "the Great" or "the Conqueror". Both words descend from the same Greek verb "epitíthēmi", "to put upon", so an epithet and an adjective are close relatives: each is something placed on top of a noun. English took the word through Old French "adjectif" in the Middle Ages, arriving as "adjectif" or "adjective" in Middle English.

Synonyms: descriptive word, modifier, attributive

Antonyms: noun, verb