Simulative

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to techniques used to mimic behaviors or environments for training or analysis
2. Involving methods that reproduce behaviors or conditions for the purpose of training or evaluation
3. Connected to methods designed to replicate scenarios or actions for practice or study

Etymology: "Simulative" is about as plain as English etymology gets: it is "simulate" with the adjective-forming suffix "-ive" attached. "Simulate" comes from the Latin "simulare," meaning "to make like, to imitate, to feign," itself built on "similis," "like" or "similar." The same root gives English "similar," "resemble" and "simulacrum," so the word's core idea is simply making something look or act like something else. The suffix "-ive," from Latin "-ivus," turns a verb into an adjective describing a quality or tendency, as in "creative" or "preventive." Attaching it to "simulate" yields a word meaning "having to do with simulating." Its specific sense of techniques for mimicking behaviours or environments for training or analysis reflects the modern use of "simulation" in fields such as flight training and scientific modelling.

Synonyms: imitative, replicative