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Origin and history of operative

operative(adj.)

late 15c., operatif, "active, working," from Old French operatif (14c.) and directly from Medieval Latin operativus "creative, formative," from operat-, past-participle stem of operari (see operation). Meaning "producing the intended effect" is from 1590s.

operative(n.)

1809, "worker, operator, artisan," from operative (adj.); sense of "secret agent, spy" is attested from 1930, probably from its use by the Pinkerton Detective Agency as a title for their private detectives (1905) to avoid the term detective.

also from 1809

Entries linking to operative

operation(n.)

late 14c., "action, performance, work," also "the performance of some science or art," from Old French operacion "operation, working, proceedings," from Latin operationem (nominative operatio) "a working, operation," noun of action from past-participle stem of operari "to work, labor" (in Late Latin "to have effect, be active, cause"), from opera "work, effort," related to opus (genitive operis) "a work" (from PIE root *op- "to work, produce in abundance").

The surgical sense of "act or series of acts performed upon a patient's body," usually with instruments, is first attested 1590s. The military sense of "act of carrying out a preconcerted series of movements" is by 1749.

inoperative(adj.)

"not working," 1630s, from in- (1) "not, opposite of" + operative (adj.).

post-operative(adj.)

also postoperative, "occurring after a surgical operation," 1869, from post- + operative. Short form post-op is attested from 1971.

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