Caressive
adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A type of diminutive indicating affection or endearment.
"[W]e, like the ancient Mexicans and many another lower race, have terms of praise and endearment,—"a jewel of a babe," and the like,—legions of caressives and diminutives in the use of which some of the Low German dialects are more lavish even than Lowland Scotch."
- 1 Having the nature of a caress; gentle, soothing.
"But the faithful creature [a dog] had soon returned, and comprehending that his mistress was confined in this great stone building, he whined and howled, waiting, within ten feet of the sentinel, a caressive reply."
- 2 Of a diminutive: indicating affection or endearment.
"All diminutives eaſily acquire a careſſive character, as animula, ocellus, &c. the Greeks even called their diminutives ὐποκρισικα; and the ſofter form, lin, rather than kin, would moſt naturally be ſo appropriated."
Example
More examples"But the faithful creature [a dog] had soon returned, and comprehending that his mistress was confined in this great stone building, he whined and howled, waiting, within ten feet of the sentinel, a caressive reply."
Etymology
From caress + -ive.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.