Origin: Latin suffix -ive
Adjective has 7 different meanings across 2 categories:
a word that expresses an attribute of something
"The teacher explained that "bright" is an adjective because it describes the color of her eyes."
the word class that qualifies nouns
"In English grammar, an adjective is a part of speech used to describe or qualify a noun by providing more information about it."
A word that modifies a noun or noun phrase or describes a noun’s referent.
"The teacher asked the students to circle every adjective in the paragraph because those words modify the nouns by describing their qualities."
To make an adjective of; to form or convert into an adjective.
"The suffix -ly turns that verb into an adjective, showing how easily words change their function in a sentence."
of or relating to or functioning as an adjective
"adjectival syntax"
"an adjective clause"
relating to court practice and procedure as opposed to the principles of law
"adjective law"
Incapable of independent function.
"The paralyzed leg was completely an adjective, requiring constant support to even lift it off the bed."
The word "adjective" entered English via Old French and Middle English from the Latin adiectivus, meaning "thrown to." This Latin term was originally a translation of the Greek concept for something added, reflecting how these words are placed alongside nouns to describe them.