distributive

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. adj. Of, relating to, or involving distribution.
2. adj. Serving to distribute.
3. adj. Mathematics Of or relating to a rule that the same product results in multiplication when performed on a set of numbers as when performed on members of the set individually. If a × (b + c) = a × b + a × c, then × is distributive over +.
4. adj. Grammar Referring to each individual or entity of a group separately rather than collectively, as every in the sentence Every employee attended the meeting.
5. n. A distributive word or term.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. That distributes; dividing and assigning in portions; dealing to each his proper share.
2. Specifically—2. In logic, showing that a statement refers to each individual of a class separately, and not to these individuals as making up the whole class. The distributive acceptation of such an adjective as all is that in which whatever is said of all is said of each: opposed to collective acceptation, in which something is said of the whole which is not true of the parts. Thus, in the sentence “All the planets are seven,” the all is collective; in the sentence “All the planets revolve round the sun,” it is distributive.
3. Expressing separation or division: as, a distributive prefix: specifically, in grammar, used to denote the persons or things that constitute a pair or number, as considered separately and singly: as, a distributive pronoun; a distributive numeral. The distributive pronouns in English are each, every, either, neither. The distributive numerals in Latin are singuli, one by one, one each; bini, by twos, two each; terni, three each, etc.
4. In mathematics, operating upon every part in operating upon the whole
5. F Φ (x, y, z, etc.) = Φ (Fx, Fy, Fz, etc.).
6. In a more general sense, every formula which expresses that the operations f, F, Φ, are so related that in every case Φ F(x, y) = f (Φx, Φy).
7. n. In grammar, a word that divides or distributes, as each and every, which represent the individuals of a collective number as separate.

Wiktionary

1. adj. Relating to distribution.
2. adj. mathematics A property of functions that have a rule describing how the function can be performed to the individual components of another operation.
3. n. grammar A distributive adjective or pronoun.
4. n. mathematics A distributive numeral.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Tending to distribute; serving to divide and assign in portions; dealing to each his proper share.
2. adj. (Logic) Assigning the species of a general term.
3. adj. (Gram.) Expressing separation; denoting a taking singly, not collectively.
4. n. (Gram.) A distributive adjective or pronoun; also, a distributive numeral.

WordNet 3.0

1. adj. serving to distribute or allot or disperse