Optative Definition
ŏptə-tĭv
adjective
Expressing wish or desire.
Webster's New World
Designating or of the grammatical mood, as in Greek, which expresses wish or desire.
Webster's New World
Designating a statement using a verb in the subjunctive mood to indicate a wish or desire, as in Had I the means, I would do it.
American Heritage
noun
The optative mood.
Webster's New World
A verb in this mood.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
- optative mood
Other Word Forms of Optative
Noun
Singular:
optative
Plural:
optativesOrigin of Optative
Middle English optatif from Old French from Late Latin optātīvus from Latin optātus past participle of optāre to wish
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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From Middle English optatif, from Old French, from Late Latin optātīvus, from Latin optātus, past participle of optāre.
From Wiktionary
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