Obstructif

Obstructif is a French adjective meaning tending to obstruct or causing obstruction. It derives from Latin obstruere, “to block up,” and entered French with the -if suffix that forms adjectives. The term is commonly found in scientific and medical language, but can also appear in more general descriptions of blockage or hindrance.

In medical French, obstructif is used to describe conditions or processes that impede a passage or function. It agrees with the gender and number of the noun it modifies: obstructif (masculine singular), obstructifs (masculine plural), obstructive (feminine singular), obstructives (feminine plural). Notable examples include bronchopneumopathie chronique obstructive (the disease known in English as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, abbreviated BPCO) and apnée obstructive du sommeil (obstructive sleep apnea). The feminine singular form obstructive is commonly seen when the noun is feminine, as in une maladie obstructive.

Beyond medicine, obstructif can describe mechanical, anatomical, or functional blockages, such as un mécanisme obstructif or un passage obstructif. In some contexts, more general terms like bloquant or bloquant are used, but obstructif remains standard in technical writing.

In usage, obstructif tends to appear in formal or scholarly texts. While readily understood in medical contexts, it is less frequent in everyday speech, where more common terms for obstruction or blockage may be preferred.