1550s, in grammar, of a verb, "formed to signify the desire for the action or condition denoted by the simple verb;" see desiderata + -ive. As a noun, "a desiderative verb," from 1751.
"having power or quality of augmenting," c. 1500, from Old French augmentatif (14c.), from Late Latin augmentat-, stem of augmentare "to increase" (see augment). In grammar, "expressing augmentation or increase in the force of the idea conveyed," from 1640s. It is applied both to words and to affixes; also as a noun in grammar, "word formed to express increased intensity of the idea conveyed by it, or an affix which serves this purpose."
1530s, in grammar and logic, "expressing a cause," from Latin causalis "relating to a cause," from causa "a cause, reason" (see cause (n.)). From 1560s as "relating to a cause or causes;" 1640s as "being a cause, producing effects."
1650s, "compounded a second time, compounded from things already composite," from Late Latin compositus, in grammar (rendering Greek parasynthetos), "formed from a compound," literally "placed together," past participle of componere "to put together, to collect a whole from several parts," from com "with, together" (see com-) + ponere "to place" (past participle positus; see position (n.)). Earlier in English as a noun, "something compounded of composite things" (1620s). Middle English had decompound (adj.) in grammar (mid-15c.).
mid-15c., transicion, in grammar, from Latin transitionem (nominative transitio) "a going across or over," noun of action from past-participle stem of transire "go or cross over" (see transient).
late 14c., in grammar, "expressing something small or little," from Old French diminutif (14c.) and directly from Latin diminutivus, earlier deminutivus, from deminut-, past-participle stem of deminuere "lessen, diminish," from de- "completely" (see de-) + minuere "make small" (from PIE root *mei- (2) "small"). Meaning "small, little, narrow, contracted" is from c. 1600.
As a noun, in grammar, late 14c., "derivative word denoting a small or inferior example of what is meant by the word it is derived from." Related: Diminutively; diminutiveness.
late 14c., partitif, in grammar, "having the quality of dividing into parts," from Late Latin partitivus, from Latin partitus, past participle of partire "to divide," from pars "a part, piece, a share" (from PIE root *pere- (2) "to grant, allot").
early 15c., "effective as a cause or agent," from Old French causatif, from Latin causativus, from causa "a cause, reason" (see cause (n.)). Meaning "expressing causation" is from c. 1600; hence the noun, in grammar, "a form of a noun or verb expressing causation" (1824).
