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infinitive

in·fi·ni·tive

UK/ɪnˈfɪnɪtɪv/ US/ɪnˈfɪnətɪv/ uncommon

noun

1.

the uninflected form of the verb

adjective

1.

formed with the infinitive

  • “an infinitive phrase”
2.

not having inflections to indicate tense

Similar

Origin

From Middle English infenitife (“without end, in perpetuity”), from Late Latin īnfīnītīvus (“unlimited, indefinite”), from Latin īnfīnītus (“unlimited, infinite”). By surface analysis, infinite + -ive.

Phrases

  • bare infinitive
  • full infinitive
  • infinitive marker
  • infinitive of purpose
  • perfect infinitive
  • split an infinitive
  • split infinitive

Related words

Broader terms

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.