preparative
Americanadjective
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012noun
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Other Word Forms
- nonpreparative adjective
- preparatively adverb
Etymology
Origin of preparative
1400–50; late Middle English preparatif < Middle French < Medieval Latin praeparātīvus. See preparation, -ive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The catch-22 is that while stem cell transplants can prevent this failure, the usual preparative chemotherapy or radiation can cause severe complications or even cancer.
From Science Daily
These preparative mass spectrometers can be used to produce chemical compounds in a new way.
From Science Daily
In the context of her research, an “artifact” is a particular result of the preparative or investigative part of a scientific procedure — i.e., an unnatural one.
From New York Times
Because the required alkylidyne catalysts have also been greatly improved in terms of activity, functional group tolerance, and user-friendliness, this method constitutes a valuable preparative complement.
From Science Magazine
A laugh, if no argument, is a splendid preparative.
From Project Gutenberg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
