Denative

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Relating to a state of imitation or representation; describing something that serves as a symbolic substitute ; pertaining to a form or image that stands in place of the original
2. Characterizing the quality of being imitative or symbolic; denoting an entity that conveys meaning through resemblance ; referring to an object or concept that acts as a surrogate or emblem
3. Concerning the aspect of representation or mimicry; indicating a stand-in or counterpart that exemplifies another ; associated with elements that substitute or signify by likeness or analogy

Etymology: "Denative" is a rare term in chemistry and biology, and its history is fairly plain. It is formed from the prefix "de-", meaning "removal" or "reversal," and "native," from Latin "nativus," meaning "natural" or "innate," originally "born" or "belonging by birth." Combined, the sense is of something that has lost its natural state. The meaning shifted in the 19th and early 20th centuries from the general idea of undoing or removing a native quality to a specific technical sense: a substance or structure whose original, functional form has been altered. Because "denature" was adopted as a term for changing a protein's form, "denative" is a derived adjective built on that same pattern, and "acting as substitute" is not part of the standard English meaning of this word.