adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The anticipatory grant of an ecclesiastical benefice, not vacant at the moment but which will become so, regularly, on the death of its present incumbent.
2. 2
   An expectation.

Adjective

1. 1
   Of or pertaining to an expectation.
2. 2
   Of or pertaining to the reversion of a benefice.

Etymology

From expect + -ative?

Related phrases

expectative grace

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.