preventive
1Preventive — Pre*vent ive, a. [Cf. F. pr[ e]ventif.] 1. Going before; preceding. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Any previous counsel or preventive understanding. Cudworth. [1913 Webster] 2. Tending to defeat or hinder; obviating; preventing the access of; as, a… …
2preventive — pre‧ven‧tive [prɪˈventɪv] also pre‧ven‧ta‧tive [ ˈventətɪv] adjective [only before a noun] intended to stop something happening: • improvements in auto safety and other preventive measures. * * * preventive UK US /prɪˈventɪv/ adjective [before… …
3preventive — preventive, preventative Both words are in use as adjectives meaning ‘serving to prevent’, especially in medicine, and also as nouns denoting a substance or procedure that does this. Preventive is the commoner by a long way (with four times as… …
4preventive — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ designed to prevent something from occurring. ► NOUN ▪ a preventive medicine or other treatment …
5Preventive — Pre*vent ive, n. That which prevents, hinders, or obstructs; that which intercepts access; in medicine, something to prevent disease; a prophylactic. [1913 Webster] …
6preventive — I adjective alert, antidotal, antiseptic, arresting, aseptic, averting, blocking, careful, cautious, checking, counteractant, counteracting, defensive, deterrent, deterring, disinfectant, forestalling, germicidal, guarded, guarding, hindering,… …
7preventive — (adj.) 1630s, from L. praevent (pp. stem of praevenire, see PREVENT (Cf. prevent)) + IVE (Cf. ive). As a noun, from 1630s; in medical use from 1670s …
8preventive — [prē vent′ə tiv, pri vent′ə tivprē vent′iv, privent′iv] adj. preventing or serving to prevent; esp., preventing disease n. anything that prevents; esp., anything that prevents disease; prophylactic: Also preventative [prē vent′ə tiv, pri vent′ə… …
9preventive — adj. & n. adj. serving to prevent, esp. preventing disease, breakdown, etc. (preventive medicine; preventive maintenance). n. a preventive agent, measure, drug, etc. Phrases and idioms: preventive detention the imprisonment of a criminal for… …
10preventive — I. noun Date: circa 1639 something that prevents; especially something used to prevent disease II. adjective Date: circa 1626 devoted to or concerned with prevention ; precautionary < preventive steps against soil erosion >: as a. designed or… …
