negatif

Negatif is a term used in several languages, most commonly Indonesian, Malay, Dutch, and Turkish, to denote the concept opposite to positive or to indicate something that is not present, incorrect, or reversed. In many non-English contexts, negatif functions as the direct cognate of the English negative and is used across science, mathematics, and everyday speech.

Etymology: The form negatif derives from Latin negativus, via Old French negatif; in Dutch the form is negatief, which transferred to Indonesian and Malay through historical contact. In Turkish it is borrowed in the modern era, often from French or English technical vocabulary.

In mathematics and science: a negative number is less than zero; a negative charge or ion; negative results indicate the absence or opposite of a desired attribute; the term labels signs and outcomes in many disciplines.

Photography and imaging: in photography, a negative is an image on film or plate in which light and dark areas are reversed, used to create positive prints.

Language and everyday use: in linguistics, negation is the operation that expresses the denial of a proposition; in daily speech negatif often describes pessimistic or unfavorable attitudes, such as negative expectations or outcomes. The word demonstrates how a single term can span arithmetic, science, culture, and everyday communication while retaining a core sense of opposition or reversal.