Word Origin Atlas

Exact historical dictionary sense

Effective in Webster's 1913 dictionary

The 1913 record labels effective as adjective. Its source-bounded etymology and selected historical definition appear below.

WEBSTER 1913adjective
Effective

[L. effectivus: cf. F. effectif.]

Cross-verified historical sense
The source text may be outdated. The page preserves that historical boundary.
Cross-verified 1913 record
Headwordeffective
Part of speechadjective
Historical etymology[L. effectivus: cf. F. effectif.]
Selected historical definitionHaving the power to produce an effect or effects; producing a decided or decisive effect; efficient; serviceable; operative; as, an effective force, remedy, speech; the effective men in a regiment.
Signed record IDwebster1913-effective-adjective-4da3ba3a886b
Source locatorCIDE.E, paragraph 1003; Gutenberg eBook 662
Edition-scoped answerNot earliest-attestation proofNot modern consensus
Independent historical textProject Gutenberg section 662Signed structural record sourceGNU GCIDE 0.54 archive
Quick answer

In Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), "effective" is labeled adjective. Its etymology is recorded as: "[L. effectivus: cf. F. effectif.]" The selected historical definition says: "Having the power to produce an effect or effects; producing a decided or decisive effect; efficient; serviceable; operative; as, an effective force, remedy, speech; the effective men in a regiment."

Project Gutenberg Webster 1913 plus signed GNU GCIDE 0.54 Exact cross-verified historical record reviewed 2026-10-04

What this answer proves

One named sense in one historical dictionary edition.

The answer reports the selected headword, part of speech, etymology, definition, and source locator as transcribed in the cross-verified 1913 record.

Evidence boundaryIt does not establish the earliest attestation or a complete borrowing chain.It does not claim current scholarly consensus or a modern dictionary definition.Historical dictionary text may be obsolete, incomplete, inaccurate, or offensive by modern standards.

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