separative

[ sep-er-uh-tiv, -uh-rey- ]

adjective

1. tending to separate.
2. causing separation.

separative

/ ˈsɛprə-; ˈsɛpərətɪv /

adjective

1. tending to separate or causing separation

Derived Forms

• ˈseparativeness, noun
• ˈseparatively, adverb

Other Words From

• sepa·rative·ly adverb
• sepa·rative·ness noun
• non·sepa·rative adjective
• un·sepa·ra·tive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of separative¹

1585–95; < Late Latin sēparātīvus, equivalent to Latin sēparāt ( us ) separate + -īvus -ive

Example Sentences

The U.S deployed all of this nuclear weapons know-how—especially the national labs and their mastery of "separative work units" needed to enrich fissile material—to craft a nuclear deal with Iran.

From Scientific American

One of the most notable of these holds that an agreement must enable Iran to ultimately expand its enrichment capacity to 190,000 separative work units.

From US News

He said that the West wanted to limit Iran’s enrichment capacity to “10,000 separative work units, which is equivalent to 10,000 centrifuges of the older type that we already have.”

From New York Times

As a matter of course, this separative system precludes all unification of artistic principles and is, therefore, very harmful to the present generation of students.

From Project Gutenberg

All these separative factors were absent in Nova Scotia.

From Project Gutenberg