Causing privation.

Consisting in the absence of something; not positive. Privative is in things, what negative is in propositions; as privative blessings, safeguard, liberty and integrity.

That of which the essence is the absence of something. Blackness and darkness are privatives.

In grammar, a prefix to a word which changes its signification and gives it a contrary sense, as a, in Greek; unjust; un and in in English, as unwiseThe word may also be applied to suffixes, as less, in harmless.