subscriptive

English

Etymology

From Latin subscrīptus (perfect passive participle of subscrībō) + -ive. By surface analysis, subscript (literally “underwrite”) +‎ -ive.

Adjective

subscriptive (not comparable)

1. Of or pertaining to a subscription, or signature.
   • 1785, Samuel Richardson, Clarissa; Or, the History of a Young Lady:

     I made the messenger wait, while I transcribed it. I have endeavoured to imitate the subscriptive part; and in the Letter made pauses, where, to the best of my remembrance, she paused.

   • 1823, Frederick Butler, Sketches of Universal History, Sacred and Profane, page 256:

     When the marquis La Fayette (who had been released by Gen. Bonaparte, at the peace of Campo Formio, from the dungeon of Olmutz,) was called upon to give his subscriptive vote to the first consul, as consul for life, he addressed this note to the consul: — " The marquis La Fayette presents his compliments to Gen. Bonaparte, and will most cheerfully give him his vote as first consul for life, provided he will restore freedom of speech, and freedom of the press to the French people.

   • 1988, Benjamin Uffenheimer, Graf Henning Reventlow, Creative Biblical Exegesis, page 95:

     Perhaps one ought to go even further and hypothesize that the super- and subscriptive notices represent a remarkable and possibly even critical feeling towards literary individuality.

2. Of or pertaining to subscription (signing up and usually paying for something).
   • 1973, Northwestern University, Preprints, page 24:

     The subscriptive type of operation would allow for the identification of travel demands and the service of these travel demands according to pre-booked or standing requests.

   • 1983, Joseph V. Melillo, Market the Arts!, page 68:

     While there remain organizations with growing subscriptive bases, many theaters with previously strong subscriptions have seen that base erode, some faster than others.

   • 1983, Sang-hyŏn Song, Introduction to the Law and Legal System of Korea, page 830:

     The Commercial Code provides for the incorporation of a stock corporation by either a "promotive incorporation" whereby the promoters take the total number of shares to be issued at the time of incorporation, or a "subscriptive incorporation" whereby the promoters take only a part of the shares and invite subscription for the rest of the shares.

   • 2010, Kirsty Gover, Tribal Constitutionalism, page 45:

     These provisions have a strongly subscriptive and voluntaristic character, and bear a marked resemblance to rules used to regulate the membership of associations.

   • 2016, Kim Rubenstein, Katharine G. Young, The Public Law of Gender, page 389:

     The problem posed by antidiscrimination law for kinship-based groups in the liberal democracies can be summarised as follows: the liberal framework of antidiscrimination law accommodates groups so long as these are demonstrably subscriptive, consent-based associations that admit persons on the basis of attributes that are not immutable or inherent.

   • 2019, Trevor Rowley, The Origins of Open Field Agriculture, page 131:

     This subscriptive system of ploughing was seen as creating the need for a division of ploughed land between those involved.

3. Of or pertaining to belief in or commitment to something.
   • 2003, John Ratcliffe, Michael Stubbs, Urban Planning And Real Estate Development, page 537:

     A conscious effort must be made to be more environmentally friendly and subscriptive to the tenets of sustainable development.

   • 2012, Tom Wilks, Advocacy and Social Work Practice, page 73:

     In contrast subscriptive advocacy involves a commitment to the cause being pursued.

   • 2016, Neil Roughley, Wanting and Intending, page 85:

     Imagination or supposition seem to involve what one might think of as a kind of subscriptive restraint, that is a mental cancellation of the subscription to the truth of the content that goes with assertion.

4. Derived from the choices of the user or client.
   • 1972, Paul A. Olson, The University Can't Train Teachers, page 62:

     We also wanted the teachers to learn how to be "subscriptive" instead of "prescriptive."

   • 2002, Leon McKenzie, R. Michael Harton, The Religious Education of Adults, page 151:

     Note again that this church's approach is consistent with the subscriptive approach to program development.

   • 2022, Robert M. Sanford, Donald G. Holtgrieve, Environmental Impact Assessment in the United States:

     Usually, the high-risk health-based or safety-based arenas yield prescriptive rather than subscriptive specification and requirements.

Derived terms

• subscriptively