definitieve

Definitieve is a Dutch adjective meaning definitive or final. It describes something that is settled, concluded, or completed and is not expected to change further. The term is commonly used with nouns such as versie (version), beslissing (decision), of status (status), to indicate that the object has undergone final approval or completion.

Examples of usage include definitieve versie (final version), definitieve beslissing (final decision), and definitieve status (definitive status). In these phrases, definitieve functions as the attributive form of definitief before a noun, signaling that what is described has been finalized.

Etymology and form: definitief originates from a Latin root through later European languages, with Dutch adopting the form definitief. The common attributive form before a noun is definitieve, as in de definitieve versie.

Usage considerations: definitieve is widely used in legal, administrative, technical, academic, and everyday language to distinguish between provisional or interim states and those that are finally settled. It often appears in contrasts with voorlopige, meaning preliminary or interim, to indicate a progression from an initial to a final state.

Related terms: the base adjective definitief can appear in other inflected forms depending on gender, number, and definiteness, and it is closely related to final or end-stage concepts in Dutch. The noun definitie, meaning definition, is etymologically distinct but shares a common Latin origin.

See also: definitief, voorlopige, final, definitive.