formative element repr. L. -facient-em ‘making,’ pr. pple. of facĕre to make, occurring in compounds as calcfacĕre, liquefacĕre, rubefacĕre, tepefacĕre, etc., from pr. pple. of which are adapted the Eng. calefacient, rubefacient, etc.; on the strict analogy of these are absorbefacient, and similar words not formed in L.; and in loose imitation abortifacient, calorifacient, etc., for which L. vbs. would have been in -ficāre, and adjs. in -ficus, calorific-us.
