Word Origin Atlas

Exact historical dictionary sense

Positive in Webster's 1913 dictionary

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

WEBSTER 1913adjective
Positive

[OE. positif, F. positif, L. positivus. See Position.]

Cross-verified historical sense
The source text may be outdated. The page preserves that historical boundary.
Cross-verified 1913 record
Headwordpositive
Part of speechadjective
Historical etymology[OE. positif, F. positif, L. positivus. See Position.]
Selected historical definitionHaving a real position, existence, or energy; existing in fact; real; actual; -- opposed to negative.
Signed record IDwebster1913-positive-adjective-478a26d9061b
Source locatorCIDE.P, paragraph 11799; Gutenberg eBook 666
Edition-scoped answerNot earliest-attestation proofNot modern consensus
Independent historical textProject Gutenberg section 666Signed structural record sourceGNU GCIDE 0.54 archive
Quick answer

In Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), "positive" is labeled adjective. Its etymology is recorded as: "[OE. positif, F. positif, L. positivus. See Position.]" The selected historical definition says: "Having a real position, existence, or energy; existing in fact; real; actual; -- opposed to negative."

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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noun

People

[OE. peple, people, OF. pueple, F. peuple, fr. L. populus. Cf. Populage, Public, Pueblo.]

Webster 1913 exact recordnoun

Part

[F. part, L. pars, gen. partis; cf. parere to bring forth, produce. Cf. Parent, Depart, Parcel, Partner, Party, Portion.]

Webster 1913 exact recordverb

Place

[Cf. F. placer. See Place, n.]

Webster 1913 exact recordverb

Please

[OE. plesen, OF. plaisir, fr. L. placere, akin to placare to reconcile. Cf. Complacent, Placable, Placid, Plea, Plead, Pleasure.]

Webster 1913 exact recordnoun

Power

[OE. pouer, poer, OF. poeir, pooir, F. pouvoir, n. & v., fr. LL. potere, for L. posse, potesse, to be able, to have power. See Possible, Potent, and cf. Posse comitatus.]

Webster 1913 exact record

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