passive
Definitions
Accepting what happens without resisting or taking action; not active
被动的，消极的；不抵抗的
(grammar) the passive voice, in which the subject receives the action
（语法）被动语态
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedpass (the Latin pati, 'to suffer / undergo') + -ive (tending to) = 'tending to undergo rather than act.' A passive person is acted upon, not acting. In grammar, a passive verb makes the subject the one undergoing the action ('the ball was thrown').
Root path still carries 58 more wordsWhy It Means This
Passive sits right on the root's core idea. Latin pati meant 'to undergo, to suffer' — and that's exactly the passive stance: things happen to you, you don't make them happen. The grammatical 'passive voice' is the same metaphor formalized: the subject doesn't act, it receives the action.
Example Sentences
- 1.
Don't be so passive — say what you actually want.
- 2.
Smoking near children exposes them to passive smoke.
- 3.
This sentence is written in the passive.