De*ter"mi*na*tive (?), a. [Cf. F. d'eterminatif.]
Having power to determine; limiting; shaping; directing; conclusive.
Incidents . . . determinative of their course.
I. Taylor.
Determinative tables Nat. Hist., tables presenting the specific character of minerals, plants, etc., to assist in determining the species to which a specimen belongs.
© Webster 1913.
De*ter"mi*na*tive (?), n.
That which serves to determine.
Explanatory determinatives . . . were placed after words phonetically expressed, in order to serve as an aid to the reader in determining the meaning.
I. Taylor (The Alphabet).
© Webster 1913.