Origin: Latin suffix -ive
Additive has 5 different meanings across 2 categories:
something added to enhance food or gasoline or paint or medicine
"The label on the yogurt container lists several artificial sweeteners and preservatives as additives used to extend its shelf life."
A substance added to another substance or product to produce specific properties in the combined substance.
"The manufacturer decided to add a preservative additive to the yogurt to extend its shelf life without altering the taste."
Pertaining to addition; that can be, or has been, added.
"The extra sugar and cream are just additives in my coffee, but they make it feel less like a drink and more like an indulgence."
The word additive comes from Late Latin additivus, which is derived from the verb addere meaning "to add." It originally described something that was added to a mixture or sum.