Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, or characterized by expectation.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Constituting an object of expectation; giving rise to expectation; anticipatory.
  • Eccles., pertaining to an expectative. See II., 2.
  • noun That which is expected; something in expectation.
  • noun Specifically In the Roman Catholic Church, the right to be collated in the future to a benefice not vacant when the right is granted.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Constituting an object of expectation; contingent.
  • adjective a mandate given by the pope or a prince appointing a successor to any benefice before it becomes vacant.
  • noun Something in expectation; esp., an expectative grace.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to an expectation
  • adjective canon law Of or pertaining to the reversion of a benefice

Etymologies

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Examples

  • WILLIS: So, we're not talking the most expectative houses out there.

    CNN Transcript Jan 10, 2009 2009

  • He is young enough to forgive, and to be forgiven, the possession and the expectative, at least for some years.

    Letters to his son on The Art of Becoming a Man of the World and a Gentleman 2005

  • It could be used to look for the valid alternatives for the liberation of our Latin American peoples by implementing or using the disciplines of cultural and industrial sciences for the region's integration plan so that the passive role, the expectative role of Latin

    SANTIAGO PAPER CARRIES INTERVIEW WITH CASTRO 1989

  • Even _expectative graces_, or mandates nominating a person to succeed to a benefice upon the first vacancy, were thus sold.

    Luther and the Reformation: The Life-Springs of Our Liberties Joseph A. Seiss

  • This innovation was made by Innocent IV, who entrusted to them cases relating to benefices (which had increased owing to the many expectative reservations granted by this pope) and other minor ones, while he employed the cardinals in the other cases.

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 13: Revelation-Stock 1840-1916 1913

  • I think I have clearly stated my reasons for this passive, or, if you prefer it, this expectative mode of action.

    Letters Liszt, Franz 1893

  • Before his return, Ximenes obtained a papal bull, or _expectative_, preferring him to the first benefice of a specified value, which should become vacant in the see of Toledo.

    The History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic — Volume 2 William Hickling Prescott 1827

  • He is young enough to forgive, and to be forgiven, the possession and the expectative, at least for some years.

    Complete Project Gutenberg Earl of Chesterfield Works Philip Dormer Stanhope Chesterfield 1733

  • I always liked gmail web interface, but I don't like using software that I can't change or see the code, so I wanted threaded view, but I was not with a very high expectative of finding it, since I've never seen it anywhere else.

    Planet Debian marcotmarcot 2010

  • We're aware that not everybody in the international anarchist movement shared our critical attitude and not a few kept to the expectative for many years regarding a process that continued monopolizing the meaning of a revolution by then devoid of any revolutionary spirit.

    unknown title 2009

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