discretive

English

Etymology

From Latin discretivus. See discrete.

Adjective

discretive (not comparable)

1. Marking distinction or separation.
   • 1858, Isaac Taylor, The World of Mind: An Elementary Book, page 157:

     A like discretive power is exercised in the sphere of each of the senses ; thus it is that the expe- rienced cook judges not only of the "far too much," but of the "much too little" of some one ingredient in the compound upon which the epicure, his master, shall bestow his commendation.

   • 2004, Keith David Wyma, Crucible of Reason, page 258:

     Nor can it necessarily move the will to cause the action, as evidenced by the will's ability to choose from among discretive judgments consented to.

   • 2017, David S. Sytsma, Richard Baxter and the Mechanical Philosophers:

     The vital power underlies acts of motion, the discretive power underlies generation and growth, and the attractive power assimilates nutrients.

2. (grammar, logic) Disjunctive with the additional characteristic that the conjoined clauses, while exhibiting a disjunct, are both asserted as true.
   • 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC:

     «But» is a particle, none more familiar in our language: and he that says it is a discretive conjunction, and that it answers to sed Latin, or mais in French, thinks he has sufficiently explained it.

   • 1829, Hendrik Hoogeveen, Hoogeveen's Greek Particles, page 40:

     Δαì has generally a discretive or distinctive, often and adversative power.

   • 1837, S. E. Parker, Logic, Or, The Art of Reasoning Simplified, page 92:

     The coherencey of a discretive proposition depends on the connecton of both parts and their relevancy to one another.

Derived terms

• discretively
• discretiveness

 

Related terms

• discretive proposition

Noun

discretive (plural discretives)

1. (logic) A discretive proposition.

Anagrams

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