adjektival

Adjektival is an adjective used in linguistics to denote anything relating to adjectives. The term comes from Latin adjectivus, meaning “relating to added” or “added to describe,” and in English it is used as “adjectival” to describe words, phrases, or clauses that function like adjectives.

In grammar, adjectival elements modify nouns. A bare adjective such as red in red apple is an adjective functioning adjectivally. Adjectival phrases, such as very tall or extremely interesting, consist of an adjective plus modifiers and serve to modify a noun. Some grammars also use the term adjectival clause to refer to a relative or participial clause that modifies a noun, as in the apple that you bought yesterday.

Morphology also relates to the term. Many languages form adjectives through derivation, using affixes that create adjectival meaning. These affixes and the resulting adjectives are often described as adjectival derivations or adjectival affixes, illustrating how form and function connect in adjectival usage. For example, suffixes like -ful or -less in English create adjectives from other parts of speech, producing words that describe properties (hopeful, fearless) and thus participate in adjectival modification.

Cross-linguistically, the concept of adjectival is used to distinguish elements that serve adjective-like functions from those serving adverbial or other grammatical roles. While English commonly uses the term adjectival, some languages use closely related terms in their own grammars to capture the same idea. Overall, adjectival describes anything pertaining to adjectives, their formation, and their role in modifying nouns.