calificativ

Calificativ is a linguistic term used to designate the class of words that express a property or quality of a noun, commonly referred to in English as adjectives. In many languages, calificativ describe, qualify, or modify nouns and pronouns, and they typically agree with the noun in gender and number. They can appear as attributive modifiers before the noun (un câine mic — a small dog) or as predicative complements after a linking verb (câinele este mic). They may form degrees of comparison: positive, comparative, and superlative (mare, mai mare, cel mai mare).

In usage, calificativ express a wide range of qualities such as color, size, texture, nationality, or value. They can be simple or derived, and may inflect for case in languages that retain case. Some languages distinguish descriptive qualificative from other subclasses, but in many grammars calificativ are the core descriptive word class.

In Romanian grammar, calificativ is the term for adjectives. The study of calificativ covers agreement rules, position, and morpho-syntactic behavior across contexts, including attributive and predicative positions and the use of gendered forms. Cross-linguistically, the concept corresponds to adjectives in most Indo-European languages and to qualifying words in broader lexical traditions.

Etymology: from Latin calificativus, via French qualificatif, meaning “that which qualifies.” See also adjectives; grammar; word classes.