Adjective
In English language, an adjective is a part of speech which can be thought of as a "describing word". An adjective modifies a noun in a similar way to a determiner. In some sentences, past participles are used as adjectives.
In the examples, the adjective is highlighted in bold.
- It is a cold day.
- He is a kind man.
- I like blue sky.
- The sky is blue.
- The joke she told was so funny, I could not stop laughing all day.
- He went mad.
In the first set of examples the adjective simply describes a
noun. In the later examples the adjective forms a predicate.
Some adjectives in English, such as "
my" or "
bonkers" can not be used both ways.
In English, adjectives come before the noun they describe. In French, they usually come after the noun.
An adjectival phrase is a phrase with an adjective as its head. (e.g. full of toys) . Adjectival phrases may occur as premodifiers to a noun (a bin full of toys), or as predicatives to a verb. (the bin is full of toys.)
Non-standard adjectives in English
Following is a list of English adjectives that are non-standard in that they are not derived from the same root as the corresponding noun, or they are based on the same root but in a way that is non-intuitive even to a native English speaker. In some cases, the non-standard adjective is merely an alternative to a standard one. For example, for an adjective form of 'charity' we could say 'eleemosynary', though in most cases 'charitable' would work just as well.
Also some of the adjectives have a similar noun form, which acts as an alternative noun.
Here is the list in the format:
- noun form - adjective form (alternative noun if present)
- abdomen - ventral, alvine
- abdominal cavity - celiac (coelom)
- accuracy - veracious (veracity) synonym?
- actors, acting - histrionic, thespian
- adjectives - epithetic
- aesthetic pleasure - sensuous
- aging, the aged - geriatric
- agriculture - georgic, geoponic
- alcohol - bibulous, vinic
- alphabet - abecedarian
- animals - zoological, zoic
- anklebone - astragatar(sp?) (astragalus)
- ants - myrmecological, formic
- apes - simian
- Aphrodite - cytherean
- apples - pomaceous, malic
- aristocracy - genteel
- Aristotle - peripatetic Is this a joke? No, it's not a joke.
- arm - brachial
- armpit - axillary
- arrangement - tactic
- arrows - sagittal
- ashes - cinerary
- asses - asinine
- authors - auctorial
- aviation - aerial
- back of the head - occipital (occiput)
- backside - dorsal
- badgers - meline
- barbers - tonsorial
- bathrooms - lavatorial (lavatory)
- baths, bathing - balneal
- bats - chiropteran, vespertilian
- bears - ursine
- bees - apian
- beeswax - cerotic
- bells - tintinnabulary
- belly - ventral
- bile - cholic
- birds - avian, ornithic, volucrine
- birds of prey - raptorial
- birth - parturient
- birthdays - genethliac
- bishops - episcopal
- Black Sea - euxine
- bladder - cystic, vesical
- blood - sanguineous, hemal, hematal, hematic, hemic
- bloodshed - sanguineous
- blood vessels - vascular, hemal, hematal
- bodily motion - gestic
- body - somatic, corporal, corporeal, physical
- body/mind - psychosomatic
- bones - osteal, osseous, osteoid
- boundaries - terminal
- boxing - fistic, pugilistic
- brain - cerebral, cerebric, encephalic
- branches - ramal
- branching patterns - cladistic
- breastbone - sternal
- breasts - mammary, mammilary
- breeding season - nuptial
- bridges - pontal
- brothers - fraternal
- buds - blastous
- buildings - edificial (edifice)
- bulls - taurine
- business - commercial (commerce)
- butter - butyric
- buttocks - gluteal
- cats - feline
- chin - mental
- dogs - canine
- foxes - vulpine
- sheep - ovine
- snakes - serpentine
- wasps - vespine
- wolves - lupine
The list, sorted by adjectives:
- abecedarian - alphabet
- aerial - aviation
- asses - asinine
- astragatar - anklebone
- alvine - abdomen ( belly )
- apian - bees
- auctorial - authors
- avian - birds
- axillary - armpit
- balneal - baths, bathing
- bibulous: alcohol
- blastous - buds
- brachial - arm
- butyric - butter
- canine - dogs
- cerebral - brain
- cerebric: see cerebral
- cerotic - beeswax
- celiac - abdominal cavity
- chiropteran - bats
- cholic - bile
- cinerary - ashes
- cladistic - branching patterns
- coloem: see celiac
- commercial - business
- corporal - body
- corporeal: see corporal
- cystic - bladder
- cytherean - Aphrodite
- dorsal - backside
- edificial - buildings
- encephalic: see cerebral
- episcopal - bishops
- epithetic - adjectives
- euxine - Black Sea
- feline - cats
- fistic - boxing
- formic - ants
- fraternal - brothers
- genethliac - birthdays
- genteel - aristocracy
- gestic - bodily motion
- geoponic - agriculture
- georgic: see geoponic
- geriatric - aging, the aged
- gluteal - buttocks
- hemal - blood / blood vessels
- hematal: see hemal (1) & (2)
- hematic: see hemal
- hemic: see hemal
- histrionic - actors, acting
- lavatorial / lavatory - bathrooms
- lupine - wolves
- malic - apples
- mammary / mammilary
- meline - badgers
- mental - chin
- myrmecological: see formic
- nuptial - breeding season
- occipital - back of the head ( also called occiput )
- ornithic: see avian
- osseous - bones
- osteal: see osseous
- osteoid: see osseous
- ovine - sheep
- parturient - birth
- peripatetic - Aristotle
- physical: see corporal
- pomaceous: see malic
- pontal - bridges
- psychosomatic - body / mind
- pugilistic: see fistic
- ramal - branches
- raptorial - birds of prey
- sagittal - arrows
- sanguineous: blood/bloodshed
- sensuous - aesthetic pleasure
- serpentine - snakes
- simian - apes
- somatic: see corporal
- sternal - breastbone
- tactic - arrangement
- taurine - bulls
- terminal - boundaries
- tintinnabulary - bells
- tonsorial - barbers
- ursine - bears
- vascular: see hemal (2)
- ventral: see alvine
- veracious - accuracy
- vespertilian: see chiropteran
- vesical: see cystic
- vespine - wasps
- vinic: see bibulous
- volucrine: see avian
- vulpine - foxes
- zoic: animals
- zoological: see zoic
See also grammar
