Formative

[fawr-muh-tiv] /ˈfɔr mə tɪv/

adjective
1.
giving form or shape; forming; shaping; fashioning; molding:
a formative process in manufacturing.
2.
pertaining to formation or development:
a child’s most formative years.
3.
Biology.

4.
Grammar. pertaining to a formative.
noun
5.
Grammar. a derivational affix, particularly one that determines the part of speech of the derived word, as -ness, in loudness, hardness, etc.
6.
Linguistics. (in generative grammar) any element, as a word, affix, or inflectional ending, functioning as a minimal syntactic unit that can be used in larger constructions.
/ˈfɔːmətɪv/
adjective
1.
of or relating to formation, development, or growth: formative years
2.
shaping; moulding: a formative experience
3.
(of tissues and cells in certain parts of an organism) capable of growth and differentiation
4.
functioning in the formation of derived, inflected, or compound words
noun
5.
an inflectional or derivational affix
6.
(in generative grammar) any of the minimum units of a sentence that have syntactic function
adj.

late 15c., from Middle French formatif, from Latin format-, past participle stem of formare (see form (n.)).

Read Also:

Formative assessment
noun 1. ongoing assessment of a pupil’s educational development within a particular subject area Compare summative assessment
Formative-element
noun, Grammar. 1. a morpheme that serves as an affix, not as a base, or root, in word formation. 2. any noninflectional morpheme, whether base or affix.
Formatted
[fawr-mat] /ˈfɔr mæt/ noun 1. the shape and size of a book as determined by the number of times the original sheet has been folded to the leaves. Compare , (def 2), , . 2. the general physical appearance of a book, magazine, or newspaper, such as the typeface, binding, quality of paper, margins, etc. […]

Formatter
[fawr-mat] /ˈfɔr mæt/ noun 1. the shape and size of a book as determined by the number of times the original sheet has been folded to the leaves. Compare , (def 2), , . 2. the general physical appearance of a book, magazine, or newspaper, such as the typeface, binding, quality of paper, margins, etc. […]
Formatting
[fawr-mat] /ˈfɔr mæt/ noun 1. the shape and size of a book as determined by the number of times the original sheet has been folded to the leaves. Compare , (def 2), , . 2. the general physical appearance of a book, magazine, or newspaper, such as the typeface, binding, quality of paper, margins, etc. […]