Habituative

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the process by which a repeated stimulus gradually comes to provoke a weaker response over time
2. Describing something that causes or involves the gradual becoming accustomed to a repeated experience
3. Characterizing a process in which repeated exposure leads an organism to respond less strongly to a stimulus

Etymology: "Habituative" is a plain formation: the verb "habituate" with the adjective-forming suffix "-ive" added to it. "Habituate" itself comes from "habit," which in English means a customary practice or a settled way of behaving, and the verb carries the sense of making someone or something accustomed to a condition or routine. The suffix "-ive" attaches to the verb's stem to describe something that has the quality of doing that, so a habituative effect or process is one that tends to make a creature or person grow used to a stimulus over time. The word therefore describes the process rather than the outcome. Where "habituate" names the act of becoming accustomed, "habituative" characterises whatever brings that accustoming about, such as a repeated sound that a listener eventually stops noticing.

Synonyms: habitual, customary