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expletive

ex·ple·tive

expletive

 
pronunciation:
ek spl tihv
parts of speech:
noun, adjective
features:
Word Combinations (noun, adjective)
part of speech: noun
definition 1: an interjection, exclamation, or oath, esp. an obscene one.
definition 2: in grammar, a word or phrase used to fill a syntactic position without having a meaning or referent, such as "it" in "It was raining".
definition 3: any word or phrase used in a sentence or line only for rhythm, metrical balance, or the like.
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part of speech: adjective
definition: added to a sentence or line to fill a position, give metrical balance, or the like.
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derivations: expletory (adj.), expletively (adv.)