Etymology From Latin distinctus, perfect passive participle of distinguere (to push apart, to divide; see distinct) + -ive (forming adjectives signifying relation or tendency to). Cognate with French distinctif and Medieval Latin distinctivus.
1
Distinguishing, used to or enabling the distinguishing of some thing.
a product in distinctive packaging
Our Apparell was giuen vs as a signe distinctiue to discern betwixt sex and sex.1583, Philip Stubbes, The Anatomie of Abuses, Folio V:
2
Rare Discriminating, discerning, having the ability to distinguish between things.
[…]more judicious and distinctive heads...1650, Thomas Browne, chapter 3, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC, 2nd book, page 75:
3
Characteristic, typical.
his distinctive bass voice
Wordsworth's distinctive work was a war with pomp and pretence, and a display of the majesty of simple feelings and humble hearts.1856, John Ruskin, Modern Painters […], volume III, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, part IV (Of Many Things), page 293:
4
Rare Distinguished, being distinct in character or position.
The refugees... at length ceased to exist as a distinctive body among the people.1867, Samuel Smiles, chapter XVII, in The Huguenots, page 432:
5
Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, SciencesHebrew, Of accents Used to separate clauses in place of stops.
These are the main distinctive accents, and by stopping at them... the reader will do justice to the sense.1874, Andrew Bruce Davidson, Introductory Hebrew Grammar, page 27:
6
Human sciences, Linguistics, SciencesOf sounds Distinguishing a particular sense of word.
Normally we symbolize only phonemes (distinctive features) so far as we can determine them.1927, L. Bloomfield et al., Language, number 3, page 129:
Etymology From Latin distinctus, perfect passive participle of distinguere (to push apart, to divide; see distinct) + -ive (forming adjectives signifying relation or tendency to). Cognate with French distinctif and Medieval Latin distinctivus.
1
A distinctive thing: a quality or property permitting distinguishing; a characteristic.
...the red umbrella, the distinctive of royalty here...1816, Maurice Keatinge, Travels through France and Spain to Morocco, volume I, page 189:
2
Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, SciencesHebrew A distinctive accent.
A distinctive of less power than Zakeph is Ṭiphḥâ.1874, Andrew Bruce Davidson, Introductory Hebrew Grammar, page 27:
3
Lifestyle, Religion, Theology A distinctive belief, tenet, or dogma of a denomination or sect.
Mennonites could go forth somewhat detached from the chauvinism of Western culture—but not so from the Mennonite distinctives.1979, Theron F. Schlabach, “Gospel versus Gospel”, in Studies in Anabaptist and Mennonite History, page 154: