Invasive

How to spell invasive

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce invasive

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does invasive mean?

1. adjectiveTending to spread aggressively or to intrude where it is unwelcome.
2. adjectiveInvolving entry into the body, typically by cutting or insertion, as in a surgical procedure.

Invasive in a sentence

• The gardener spent the weekend pulling up an invasive weed that had choked the borders.

• The surgeon recommended a minimally invasive procedure to shorten recovery time.

• Residents complained that the new surveillance cameras felt invasive and excessive.

• Doctors preferred a less invasive scan before considering an operation.

Where does invasive come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb invadere, meaning 'to go into', 'to enter', or 'to attack', formed from the prefix in- ('into') and vadere ('to go', 'to advance'). The same vadere root quietly survives in everyday words such as 'evade' (to go out of, escape) and 'pervade' (to go through). The past participle stem invas- supplied the medieval Latin adjective invasivus, describing something that forces its way in, and English adopted the form 'invasive' in the early 1600s by way of French and Latin medical and military writing. Over time the sense broadened from armed invasion to anything that spreads aggressively or intrudes where it is not wanted, from creeping plants to surgical procedures. The single s in the middle is a useful spelling cue: it comes straight from that Latin invas- stem, the same one you can hear in 'invasion'.

How the word is built

• in- (into)
• vas (go, from Latin vadere 'to go')
• -ive (adjective suffix)