relational adjective

English

Noun

Examples
  • English architectural heritage – "architectural" expresses a relationship to the corresponding noun "architecture"
  • French concours hippique (horse show) – French lacks noun adjuncts, so uses a dedicated relational adjective in place of the noun cheval (horse)

relational adjective (plural relational adjectives)

  1. (linguistics, grammar) A classifying adjective; an adjective that defines a relation and not a quality, commonly found in (but not exclusive to) languages that do not permit noun adjuncts.

Usage notes

  • Not commonly used of English adjectives, for which classifying adjective is sometimes used.

Translations

See also

References