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| ex·ple·tive [ éksplətiv ] |
noun (plural ex·ple·tives) |
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| Definition: |
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1. linguistics swearword: an exclamation, especially a swearword
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2. grammar word with no meaning: a word that carries no meaning but has a grammatical function in a sentence. In the sentence "There are three books on the table," "there" is an expletive.
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3. poetry meaningless word in line of poetry: a word added to a line of verse in order to fill it out, usually for the sake of the meter. In the line "When and that I was a little tiny lad," the words "and that" are expletives.
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adjective |
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| Definition: |
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grammar poetry used as expletive: functioning as an expletive in a sentence or poem
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| [Early 17th century. < late Latin expletivus< explet-, past participle of explere "fill up" < plere "to fill"] |
