Corrective

How to spell corrective

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce corrective

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does corrective mean?

1. adjectiveIntended to put right something that is wrong, faulty or harmful.
2. nounSomething that counteracts or remedies a fault, problem or imbalance.

Corrective in a sentence

• adjective

  The optometrist prescribed corrective lenses for her near-sighted vision.

• noun

  The new interest rate served as a corrective to the overheating housing market.

• adjective

  The manager outlined a corrective plan to address the budget overrun.

• noun

  Regular feedback acts as a corrective when a project drifts off course.

Where does corrective come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb corrigere, which meant 'to make straight' or 'to set right', formed from the prefix com- (here an intensifier, originally 'together') and regere, meaning 'to guide, lead or rule in a straight line'. The same regere gives us 'rectum', 'rectangle', 'direct' and 'regent', all carrying the idea of straightness or governance. The past participle correctus produced the adjective form, and Medieval Latin correctivus described something able to set things right. English took it in through Old French and Latin in the late medieval period, first describing things that counteract a fault or defect. The doubled r in the spelling comes straight from the Latin assimilation of com- before the r of regere, which is exactly the trap modern writers fall into when they drop one of the two.

How the word is built

• cor- (from com-, together/intensive)
• rect (from regere/rectus: to guide straight, set right)
• -ive (adjective/noun suffix)