predicative
adjective /prɪˈdɪkətɪv/
/ˈpredɪkeɪtɪv/
(grammar)- (of an adjective) coming after a verb such as be, become, get, seem, look. Many adjectives, for example old can be either predicative as in The man is very old, or attributive as in an old man. Some, like asleep, can only be predicative.Topics Languagec2Oxford Collocations DictionaryPredicative is used with these nouns:
- adjective
Word Originmid 19th cent.: from Latin praedicativus, from praedicat- ‘declared’ (in medieval Latin ‘predicated’), from the verb praedicare, from prae ‘beforehand’ + dicare ‘make known’.