Modificatory

Modificatory is an adjective meaning relating to or serving to modify. In general use, something modificatory acts to change, limit, describe, or specify another element.

In linguistics and grammar, the term is used to describe words or constructions that modify a head word or phrase. Modificatory elements restrict or qualify meaning, and they can be adjectives, determiners, numerals, or certain adverbs. For example, in the phrase the red apple, the word red functions as a modificatory adjective describing the noun apple; in two large dogs, two and large operatively modify the noun dogs. The position of modificatory elements is often adjacent to the head word, though some constructions allow more distant modification.

The notion of modificatory function is closely related to, but distinct from, the broader idea of a modifier. In modern grammar, the terms modifier or modification are more commonly employed, whereas modificatory is chiefly found in older grammars, descriptive treatments, or discussions about grammatical function. When used, it emphasizes the role of a word or phrase in modifying another element rather than naming a separate syntactic category.

Etymology traces modificatory to the Latin modificator, from modificare, to modify. While not a frequent label in contemporary grammar, the concept remains relevant for describing how words and phrases alter the meaning of the elements they accompany.

See also: modifier, modification, attributive, determiner, adjective, adverb.