1. plural of agentive; words or forms that denote an agent (a person or thing that performs an action)
Usage: linguistics; grammar
2. grammatical forms or suffixes that indicate the performer of an action, such as '-er' in 'teacher' or '-ist' in 'pianist'
Usage: linguistics; grammar

Examples

• In English, words like 'teacher' and 'runner' are agentives formed with the suffix '-er'.
• The linguist explained how agentives function to identify who or what performs an action.
• Many agentives in English are created by adding '-ist' to a noun, as in 'pianist' or 'scientist'.
• The study of agentives helps students understand word formation and grammar.
• Agentives are common across many languages and serve to mark the doer of an action.