distributive

4 definitions found

distributive - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Distributive \Dis*trib"u*tive\, a. [Cf. F. distributif.]
     1. Tending to distribute; serving to divide and assign in
        portions; dealing to each his proper share. "Distributive
        justice." --Swift.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Logic) Assigning the species of a general term.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Gram.) Expressing separation; denoting a taking singly,
        not collectively; as, a distributive adjective or pronoun,
        such as each, either, every; a distributive numeral, as
        (Latin) bini (two by two).
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Distributive operation (Math.), any operation which either
        consists of two or more parts, or works upon two or more
        things, and which is such that the result of the total
        operation is the same as the aggregated result of the two
        or more partial operations. Ordinary multiplication is
        distributive, since a [times] (b + c) = ab + ac, and (a +
        b) [times] c = ac + bc.
  
     Distributive proportion. (Math.) See Fellowship.
        [1913 Webster]

  Distributive \Dis*trib"u*tive\, n. (Gram.)
     A distributive adjective or pronoun; also, a distributive
     numeral.
     [1913 Webster]

distributive - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  distributive
      adj 1: serving to distribute or allot or disperse [ant:
             collective]

distributive - Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :

  25 Moby Thesaurus words for "distributive":
     attenuative, diffractional, diffractive, diffusive, dispersive,
     disseminative, dissipative, distributional, equal, even stephen,
     fifty-fifty, half, half-and-half, halvers, particular, per capita,
     per head, pro rata, proportional, proportionate, prorated,
     respective, scattering, several, spreading