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active

Pronunciation: /ˈæk.tɪv/

The English word “active” has 17 meanings listed here.

adjective

  1. Having the power or quality of acting; causing change; communicating action or motion; acting;—opposed to passive, that receives.
  2. Quick in physical movement; of an agile and vigorous body; nimble.
  3. In action; actually proceeding; working; in force
  4. Emitting hot materials, such as lava, smoke, or steam, or producing tremors.
  5. Given to action; constantly engaged in action; energetic; diligent; busy
  6. Requiring or implying action or exertion
  7. Given to action rather than contemplation; practical; operative
  8. Brisk; lively.
  9. Implying or producing rapid action.
  10. Applied to a form of the verb; — opposed to passive. See active voice.
  11. Applied to verbs which assert that the subject acts upon or affects something else; transitive.
  12. Applied to all verbs that express action as distinct from mere existence or state.
  13. Eligible to be processed by a compiler or interpreter.
  14. Not passive.
  15. enjoying a role in anal sex in which he penetrates, rather than being penetrated by his partner.

noun

  1. A person or thing that is acting or capable of acting.
  2. Any component that is not passive. See Passivity (engineering).

Etymology

From Middle English actyf, from Old French actif, from Latin āctīv(us), from agere (“to do, to act”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti. By surface analysis, act + -ive.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.