Question

is "-ive" an affix or suffix? what is its meaning? does it relate to something, or does it tend toward an action?

Answer 1

Short answer: -ive is an affix — specifically a suffix — and it comes from Latin -ivus. As a word-forming element in English it mainly makes adjectives meaning “having the nature of,” “pertaining to,” or “tending to (do) X.” In some cases it has become a noun ending (executive, detective).

Details and examples
- Terminology: an affix is any bound morpheme; a suffix is an affix attached to the end of a word. So -ive is both an affix and, more precisely, a suffix.
- Origin: from Latin -ivus (through French/Latinate borrowing).
- Typical meanings:
- “pertaining to” or “relating to” — e.g. digestive (relating to digestion), supportive (relating to support).
- “having a tendency or quality” / “inclined to” — e.g. talkative (tends to talk), impulsive (liable to act on impulse).
- sometimes agentive/nominalized: it can form nouns denoting a person or thing associated with the action (an executive is one who executes; a detective is one who detects), though many -ive words are adjectives.
- Productivity: -ive is most productive with Latinate verb stems (create → creative; act → active). For Germanic verbs or everyday coinages English often uses other strategies (‑ing, ‑er, etc.).
- Contrast with a purely “action” suffix: unlike -ing (which often denotes the action or process), -ive usually describes a property, role, or tendency related to the action rather than the action itself.

Summary: -ive = suffix (from Latin) forming adjectives meaning “pertaining to” or “tending toward” (and sometimes nouns for people/things associated with the action).