Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A special donation; a gift.
  • adjective Characterized by, constituting, or subject to donation.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Vested or vesting by donation: as, a donative advowson.
  • noun A gift; a largess; a gratuity; a present; a dole.
  • noun In canon law, a benefice given and collated to a person by the founder or patron without either presentation, institution, or induction by the ordinary.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Vested or vesting by donation.
  • noun A gift; a largess; a gratuity; a present.
  • noun (Eccl. Law) A benefice conferred on a person by the founder or patron, without either presentation or institution by the ordinary, or induction by his orders. See the Note under Benefice, n., 3.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of, pertaining to, or being a donation

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin dōnātīvum, from neuter of dōnātīvus, of a donation, from dōnātus, past participle of dōnāre, to give; see donation.]

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Examples

  • His house alone contains wealth sufficient to discharge the donative which is never forthcoming, and is daily cast in your teeth.

    I. On Becoming Emperor 1906

  • So was the whole island of Sicily won over to the realm of Justinian before the end of 535, and Belisarius, Consul for the year, rode through the streets of Syracuse on the last day of his term of office, scattering his "donative" to the shouting soldiers and citizens.

    Theodoric the Goth Barbarian Champion of Civilisation Thomas Hodgkin 1872

  • (The more technical term is donative commercial non-profits).

    Brian Farkas: Higher Education Will Struggle Through the Recession 2009

  • The Englishmen extricated themselves from their importunity by bestowing, as is usual on such occasions, a donative of small coin upon those who appeared most needy, or most deserving of their charity one tall woman stood on the steps close to the door, and extended her hand to the elder Philipson, who, struck with her appearance, exchanged for a piece of silver the copper coins which he had been distributing amongst others.

    Anne of Geierstein 2008

  • So saying he gave the little galopin his donative, and a slight rap on the pate at the same time, which sent him scouring from his presence.

    Saint Ronan's Well 2008

  • Lion dismissed, upon the occasion, even his ordinary watch, and assigned to his soldiers a donative of wine to celebrate his recovery, and to drink to the Banner of Saint George; and his quarter of the camp would have assumed a character totally devoid of vigilance and military preparation, but that Sir Thomas de Vaux, the Earl of Salisbury, and other nobles, took precautions to preserve order and discipline among the revellers.

    The Talisman 2008

  • Galba undid himself by that speech, legi a se militem, non emi; for it put the soldiers out of hope of the donative.

    The Essays 2007

  • The personal fruition in any man, cannot reach to feel great riches: there is a custody of them; or a power of dole, and donative of them; or a fame of them; but no solid use to the owner.

    The Essays 2007

  • TenmfoTt) was a kind of donative, he coming in with - out inftitution and indtl&ion, and that the prcfentable parfonage does not commence till after him, by the words of the ftatute j and that in cafe of a donative, the pro - motion of the incumbent does not make a ccfiion.

    Reports of cases adjudged in the Court of King's bench; with some special cases in the courts of Chancery, Common pleas and Exchequer, alphabetically digest under proper heads; 1795

  • Nice is said to yield the king half a million of livres, about twenty-five thousand pounds sterling, arising from a small donative made by every town and village: for the lands pay no tax, or imposition, but the tithes to the church.

    Travels through France and Italy 2004

Comments

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  • "...they might move in concert and precipitate the revolution: this would be all the more feasible if they were supplied with donatives to win the support of five or six regiments in key positions."

    --O'Brian, The Wine-Dark Sea, 151

    March 14, 2008

  • I dunno, sounds like this could be one of those Finnish cases to me. Not locative, donative.

    March 14, 2008

  • Sounds like native doughnuts to me.

    March 14, 2008

  • The Little learn just how the Big give
    To those they sift in favor's sieve,
    And that Santa's gift
    Is a version of grift - 
    It's baksheesh more than a donative.

    December 25, 2014

  • Dear Wordniks my aim is to woo you

    To visit "community" if you choose to.

    Let not this hiatus

    Depress or abate us,

    Let's flock to the beckoning ruzuzu.

    December 26, 2014