Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Descriptive"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Descriptive \De*scrip"tive\, a. [L. descriptivus: cf. F.
descriptif.]
Tending to describe; having the quality of representing;
containing description; as, a descriptive figure; a
descriptive phrase; a descriptive narration; a story
descriptive of the age.

{Descriptive anatomy}, that part of anatomy which treats of
the forms and relations of parts, but not of their
textures.

{Descriptive geometry}, that branch of geometry. which treats
of the graphic solution of problems involving three
dimensions, by means of projections upon auxiliary planes.
--Davies & Peck (Math. Dict. ) -- {De*scrip"tive*ly}, adv.
-- {De*scrip"tive*ness}, n.

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

descriptive
adj 1: serving to describe or inform or characterized by
description; "the descriptive variable"; "a
descriptive passage" [ant: {undescriptive}]
2: concerned with phenomena (especially language) at a
particular period without considering historical
antecedents; "synchronic linguistics"; "descriptive
linguistics" [syn: {synchronic}] [ant: {diachronic}]
3: (grammar) describing the structure of a language;
"descriptive linguistics simply describes language" [ant:
{prescriptive}]


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