Exemptive

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Serving to free a person or thing from a duty, rule, or obligation that would otherwise apply to them
2. Providing relief from a requirement, allowing someone to be excused from what others must do
3. Describing something that grants immunity or release from a law, charge, or general requirement

Etymology: "Exemptive" is formed from "exempt" plus the adjective-forming suffix "-ive." "Exempt" itself comes from Latin "eximere," meaning "to take out" or "to remove," built from "ex-" (out) and "emere" (to take). The past participle "exemptus" gave English the sense of something taken out of a general obligation. English adopted "exempt" in the 15th century, with the earlier verb "exempt" (to release from an obligation) appearing around the same time. The suffix "-ive" came into English through Old French "-if" and Latin "-ivus," used to make adjectives meaning "tending toward" or "having the quality of" an action. Attaching it to "exempt" produced "exemptive," which describes something that grants or involves exemption, such as an exemptive clause in a law or contract. The formation is plain and transparent, so the word reads as a technical or legal coinage rather than one with a dramatic history.

Synonyms: exempting

Antonyms: compulsory, mandatory