Formative
Formative , adjective
[Compare French formatif.]
1.
Giving form; having the power of giving form; plastic; as, the formative arts.
The meanest plant can not be raised without seed, by any formative residing in the soil.
2.
(Grammar) Serving to form; derivative; not radical; as, a termination merely formative.
3.
(Biology) Capable of growth and development; germinal; as, living or formative matter.
Formative , noun
(a)
(Grammar) That which serves merely to give form, and is no part of the radical, as the prefix or the termination of a word.
(b)
(Grammar) A word formed in accordance with some rule or usage, as from a root.