| Definitions | | expletive |
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noun - A profane, vulgar or obscene oath
- (linguistics) A word without meaning added to fill a syntactic position
- Example: - It in It is snowing
- (linguistics) A word that adds to the strength of a phrase without affecting its meaning
- Example: - bloody in I'll give you a bloody good hiding.
Translations: - Dutch: expletie
- French: explétif
adjective
- serving to fill up
- marked be expletives (phrase-fillers)
Translations: - Dutch: expletief
- French: explétif
Etymology: From expletivus "serving to fill out," from expletus, the past participle of explere "to fill out", itself from ex- "out, completely" + plere "to fill"
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