abortive: Meaning and Definition of
a•bor•tive
Pronunciation: (u-bôr'tiv), [key] — adj.
- failing to succeed; unsuccessful: an abortive rebellion; an abortive scheme.
- born prematurely.
- imperfectly developed; rudimentary.
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- producing or intended to produce abortion; abortifacient.
- acting to halt progress of a disease.
- (of the course of a disease) short and mild without the usual, pronounced clinical symptoms.
- (of seeds or pollen grains) imperfect; unable to germinate.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.