Adjective
/ˈædʒ.ɪk.tɪv/noun
A word that describes or modifies a noun.
Did you know?‘Adjective’ comes from Latin grammatical theory, where an adjective was something “thrown toward” a noun to qualify it, not a mystical term but a precise metaphor for linguistic attachment.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
adiectīvus
“pertaining to something added or thrown toward”
Classical Latin
Latin
adiectus
“thrown to, added to”
Early Latin
Latin
adiacere
“to throw or place near, add to”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*yeǵ-
“to throw, cast”
Middle English
English
adjectif
“a word added to another to qualify it”
Modern English
English
adjective
“a word that modifies or describes a noun”