English Explanatory Dictionary

invasive

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Of or pertaining to invasion; offensive.
  2. That invades a foreign country using military force; also, militarily aggressive.
  3. Intrusive on one's privacy, rights, sphere of activity, etc.
  4. Originating externally.
  5. Of an animal or plant: that grows (especially uncontrollably) in environments which do not harbour natural enemies, often to the detriment of native species or of food or garden flora and fauna.
  6. Of a procedure: involving the entry of an instrument into part of the body.
  7. Of a carcinoma or other abnormal growth: that invades healthy tissue, especially rapidly.
noun
  1. An invasive organism, such as an animal or plant.

Pronunciation

/ɪnˈveɪsɪv/ /-zɪv/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-invasive.wav

Word forms

invasive more invasive most invasive invasives

Etymology

PIE word *h₁én The adjective is derived from Middle English invasif (“of a weapon: offensive”), from Middle French invasif, Old French invasif (“invasive”) (modern French invasif), from Medieval Latin invāsīvus, from Latin invāsus (“entered; invaded”) + -īvus (suffix forming adjectives). Invāsus is the perfect passive participle of invādō (“to enter; to invade”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside’) + vādō (“to go; to rush; to walk”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weh₂dʰ- (“to go, proceed; to pass, traverse”)). The noun is derived from the adjective.

Antonyms

uninvasive noninvasive non-invasive

Derived words

angioinvasive anti-invasive bioinvasive chemoinvasive enteroinvasive erythroinvasive hyperinvasive hypoinvasive invasive carp invasive exotic invasively invasiveness invasive species invasivity invasivore invasivorism microinvasive miniinvasive minimally invasive myoinvasive neuroinvasive noninvasive non-invasive panvasive pharmacoinvasive postinvasive preinvasive proinvasive pseudoinvasive uninvasive uninvasively
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