Search Chambers
Consult Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, The Chambers Thesaurus (1996) or Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997 edition with amendments). Enter your search and choose your title from the drop-down menu.
passive adj 1 lacking positive or assertive qualities; submissive. 2 lethargic; inert. 3 grammar (abbreviation pass.) a denoting or relating to a verbal construction which in English consists of be and the past participle (see under participle), which carries a meaning in which the subject undergoes, rather than performs, the action of the verb, such as 'the letter' in The letter was written by John. Compare active; b denoting or relating to the verb in such a construction. noun, grammar 1 (also passive voice) the form or forms that a passive verb takes. 2 a passive verb or construction. passively adverb. passiveness or passivity noun.
ETYMOLOGY: 14c: from Latin passivus.
passive adj 1 lacking positive or assertive qualities; submissive. 2 lethargic; inert. 3 grammar (abbreviation pass.) a denoting or relating to a verbal construction which in English consists of be and the past participle (see under participle), which carries a meaning in which the subject undergoes, rather than performs, the action of the verb, such as 'the letter' in The letter was written by John. Compare active; b denoting or relating to the verb in such a construction. noun, grammar 1 (also passive voice) the form or forms that a passive verb takes. 2 a passive verb or construction. passively adverb. passiveness or passivity noun.
ETYMOLOGY: 14c: from Latin passivus.
passive adj 1 lacking positive or assertive qualities; submissive. 2 lethargic; inert. 3 grammar (abbreviation pass.) a denoting or relating to a verbal construction which in English consists of be and the past participle (see under participle), which carries a meaning in which the subject undergoes, rather than performs, the action of the verb, such as 'the letter' in The letter was written by John. Compare active; b denoting or relating to the verb in such a construction. noun, grammar 1 (also passive voice) the form or forms that a passive verb takes. 2 a passive verb or construction. passively adverb. passiveness or passivity noun.
ETYMOLOGY: 14c: from Latin passivus.
-
The Chambers Dictionary (13th edition)
“Chambers is the one I keep at my right hand”- Philip Pullman.
The unrivalled dictionary for word lovers, now in its 13th edition.
-
The Chambers Thesaurus
The Chambers Thesaurus (4th Edition) is a veritable treasure-trove, including the greatest selection of alternative words and phrases available in an A to Z format. -
Chambers Biographical Dictionary
“Simply all you need to know about anyone” – Fay Weldon.
Thoroughly revised and updated for its 9th edition.
Consult Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, The Chambers Thesaurus (1996) or Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997 edition with amendments). Enter your search and choose your title from the drop-down menu.
Search Tip
A wildcard is a special character you can use to replace one or more characters in a word. There are two types of wildcard. The first is a question mark ?, which matches a single character. The second is an asterisk *, which matches zero or more characters. The two kinds of wildcard can be mixed in a single search.
View More Search Tips