Privative

Definition of Privative

Priv´a`tive

a.	1.	Causing privation; depriving.
	2.	Consisting in the absence of something; not positive; negative. Privative blessings, blessings of immunity, safeguard, liberty, and integrity. - Jer. Taylor.
	3.	(Gram.) Implying privation or negation; giving a negative force to a word; as, alpha privative; privative particles; - applied to such prefixes and suffixes as a- (Gr. ), un-, non-, -less.
n.	1.	That of which the essence is the absence of something. Blackness and darkness are indeed but privatives. - Bacon.
	2.	(Logic) A term indicating the absence of any quality which might be naturally or rationally expected; - called also privative term.
	3.	(Gram.) A privative prefix or suffix. See Privative, a., 3.

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