Optative
//ˈɒptətɪv// adj, noun
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A mood of verbs found in some languages (e.g. Sanskrit, Old Prussian, Tamil, and Ancient Greek, but not English), used to express a wish.
- 2 a mood (as in Greek or Sanskrit) that expresses a wish or hope; expressed in English by modal verbs wordnet
- 3 A verb or expression in the optative mood.
Adjective
- 1 Expressing a wish or a choice. not-comparable
"an optative blessing"
- 2 Related or pertaining to the optative mood. not-comparable
Adjective
- 1 relating to a mood of verbs in some languages wordnet
- 2 indicating an option or wish wordnet
Example
More examples"[…] then, in the optative retirement from hard science that building and opening a U.S.T.A-accredited and pedagogically experimental tennis academy apparently represented for him […]"
Etymology
From Middle French optatif, from Late Latin optātīvus, a calque of Ancient Greek εὐκτική (euktikḗ, “related to wishing”), from Latin optātus, past participle of optāre.
Related phrases
More for "optative"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.