[a. Fr. adjectif, -ive, ad. L. adjectīv-us, f. adject-us; see ADJECT a. and -IVE.]
A. adj. Of the nature of an addition or adjunct.
1. Gram. Naming or forming an adjunct to a noun substantive; added to or dependent on a substantive as an attribute. Noun adjective: a word standing for the name of an attribute, which being added to the name of a thing describes the thing more fully or definitely, as a black coat, a body politic; now usually called an adjective only, see B.
1414. Dk. of Exeter to Henry IV., in Hall’s Chron. (1809), 55. Scotland is like a noun adiective that cannot stand without a substantive.
1561. T. N[orton], Calvin’s Inst., I. xiii. (1634), 46. All other names of God [except Jehovah] are but adjective names of addition.
1612. Brinsley, Posing of Parts (1669), 3. Q. How many sorts of Nouns have you? A. Two: a Noun Substantive, and a Noun Adjective … A noun adjective is that cannot stand by itself, without the help of another word to be joyned with it to make it plain.
1875. Whitney, Life of Lang., vi. 103. The variation of an adjective word for gender and number and case.
2. Hence, gen. Not standing by itself, dependent. Used spec. of colors that are not permanent without a basis.
1622. Heylin, Cosmogr., III. (1682), 113. The People, the most Adjective of any that we have met with hitherto, able at no time to stand by themselves.
a. 1628. F. Greville, Life of Sidney (1652), 120. Our Modern Conquerors would craftily entice the Noun-adjective-natured Princes and subjects of this time to submit their necks.
1813. E. Bancroft, Perm. Colours, I. II. i. 341. Adjective colours owe their durability, as well as their lustre, to the interposition of some earthy or metallic base.
1856. Grote, Greece, XI. II. lxxxv. 257. The women were treated on both sides as adjective beings.
3. Of Law: Relating to procedure, the subsidiary part of law; opposed to substantive, relating to the essential justice of law.
1808. Bentham, Scotch. Ref., 5. The system of procedure, or adjective branch of the law.
1870. Daily News, 12 May. Law may be divided into Law and Procedure; Law Substantive and Law Adjective.
B. sb. [The adj. used absol.]
1. A ‘Noun Adjective’ (see A 1.); one of the Parts of Speech.
1509. Hawes, Past. Pl., V. X. A nowne substantyve Might stand wythout helpe of an adjectyve.
1597. Bp. Hall, Satires, VI. i. In epithets to join two words in one. Forsooth, for adjectives can’t stand alone.
1690. Locke, Hum. Underst., III. viii. (1695), 267. Our simple Ideas have all abstract, as well as concrete Names: The one whereof is a Substantive, the other an Adjective; as Whiteness, White; Sweetness, Sweet.
1865. Marsh, Eng. Lang., xiv. § 11. The only striking peculiarity of the English adjective … is its invariability, or want of distinct forms for different cases, genders and numbers.
2. Hence, gen. That which cannot stand alone; a dependent; an accessory.
1639. Fuller, Holy War, V. xviii. (1840), 274. Subjects should be adjectives, not able to stand without their prince.
1658. Osborn, King James (1673), 516. Those Northern Adjectives, not able to subsist without England.
1801. Fuseli, Lect. on Art, ii. (1848), 394. In Parmigiano’s figures action is the adjective of the posture.
3. Comb. or Attrib., as adjective clause, phrase (i.e., one equivalent in function to an adj.), notion, etc.
1860. Abp. Thompson, Laws of Thought, § 26, 39. Every verb may be resolved into an adjective-notion; ‘he loved’ is explained by ‘he was loving,’ ‘he hopes’ by ‘he is hoping.’
1881. Whitney, Mixt. in Lang., 23. What is the relation of genitive-position in a given tongue to adjective-position?
