different between operant vs operative

English

Adjective

operant (comparative more operant, superlative most operant)

1. That operates to produce an effect.

   • thy most operant poison

   • 1955, Rex Stout, "When a Man Murders...", in Three Witnesses, October 1994 Bantam edition, ?ISBN, page 117:

     I tell you frankly, if Paul Aubry is guilty I hope is convicted and punished; but if one of the others is guilty I hope he—or she—is punished, and if I knew anything operant to that end I certainly would not withhold it.

Derived terms

• inoperant
• operancy
• operant conditioning

Synonyms

• operative

Antonyms

• inoperant

Noun

operant (plural operants)

1. An operative person or thing.
2. (psychology) Any of a class of behaviors that produce consequences by operating (i.e., acting) upon the environment.

See also

• Skinner box

Anagrams

• Paterno, Protean, pronate, protean, tropane

Catalan

Verb

operant

1. present participle of operar

Latin

Verb

operant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of oper?

English

Etymology

From Middle French operatif (modern French opératif).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??p???t?v/, (colloquial) /??p??t?v/

Adjective

operative (comparative more operative, superlative most operative)

1. Effectual or important.

   He's usually in a good mood — the operative word there being "usually". Today was a disaster.

2. Functional, in working order.
3. Having the power of acting; hence, exerting force, physical or moral; active in the production of effects.

   an operative motive

   • It holds in all operative principles.

4. Producing the appropriate or designed effect; efficacious.

   an operative dose, rule, or penalty

5. Based upon, or consisting of, a surgical operation or operations. [from 18th c.]

   operative surgery

Derived terms

• operatively
• operativeness
• operative word
• operativity
• preoperative, postoperative, inoperative, nonoperative

Related terms

• operand
• operant
• operate
• operation
• operational
• operator

Translations

Noun

operative (plural operatives)

1. An employee or other worker with some particular function or skill.
2. A spy, secret agent, or detective.
3. A participant in an operation.

Translations

References

• James A. H. Murray [et al.], editors (1884–1928) , “Operative”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volume VII (O–P), London: Clarendon Press, OCLC 15566697, page 145, column 2.

Anagrams

• evaporite

German

Pronunciation

Adjective

operative

1. inflection of operativ:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

Adjective

operative

1. feminine plural of operativo

Anagrams

• operatevi

Latin

Adjective

oper?t?ve

1. vocative masculine singular of oper?t?vus

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

operative

1. inflection of operativ:
   1. definite singular
   2. plural

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

operative

1. inflection of operativ:
   1. definite singular
   2. plural

Swedish

Adjective

operative

1. absolute definite natural masculine form of operativ.