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17 definitions found
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 :   [ gcide ]

  Passive \Pas"sive\, a. [L. passivus: cf. F. passif. See
     Passion.]
     1. Not active, but acted upon; suffering or receiving
        impressions or influences; as, they were passive
        spectators, not actors in the scene.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The passive air
              Upbore their nimble tread.            --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The mind is wholly passive in the reception of all
              its simple ideas.                     --Locke.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Receiving or enduring without either active sympathy or
        active resistance; without emotion or excitement; patient;
        not opposing; unresisting; as, passive obedience; passive
        submission.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The best virtue, passive fortitude.   --Massinger.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Chem.) Inactive; inert; not showing strong affinity; as,
        red phosphorus is comparatively passive.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. (Med.) Designating certain morbid conditions, as
        hemorrhage or dropsy, characterized by relaxation of the
        vessels and tissues, with deficient vitality and lack of
        reaction in the affected tissues.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Passive congestion (Med.), congestion due to obstruction to
        the return of the blood from the affected part.
  
     Passive iron (Chem.), iron which has been subjected to the
        action of heat, of strong nitric acid, chlorine, etc. It
        is then not easily acted upon by acids.
  
     Passive movement (Med.), a movement of a part, in order to
        exercise it, made without the assistance of the muscles
        which ordinarily move the part.
  
     Passive obedience (as used by writers on government),
        obedience or submission of the subject or citizen as a
        duty in all cases to the existing government.
  
     Passive prayer, among mystic divines, a suspension of the
        activity of the soul or intellectual faculties, the soul
        remaining quiet, and yielding only to the impulses of
        grace.
  
     Passive verb, or Passive voice (Gram.), a verb, or form
        of a verb, which expresses the effect of the action of
        some agent; as, in Latin, doceor, I am taught; in English,
        she is loved; the picture is admired by all; he is
        assailed by slander.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Syn: Inactive; inert; quiescent; unresisting; unopposing;
          suffering; enduring; submissive; patient.
          [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 :   [ gcide ]

  Voice \Voice\, n. [OE. vois, voys, OF. vois, voiz, F. voix, L.
     vox, vocis, akin to Gr. ? a word, ? a voice, Skr. vac to say,
     to speak, G. erw["a]hnen to mention. Cf. Advocate,
     Advowson, Avouch, Convoke, Epic, Vocal, Vouch,
     Vowel.]
     1. Sound uttered by the mouth, especially that uttered by
        human beings in speech or song; sound thus uttered
        considered as possessing some special quality or
        character; as, the human voice; a pleasant voice; a low
        voice.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              He with a manly voice saith his message. --Chaucer.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Her voice was ever soft,
              Gentle, and low; an excellent thing in woman.
                                                    --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Thy voice is music.                   --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Join thy voice unto the angel choir.  --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Phon.) Sound of the kind or quality heard in speech or
        song in the consonants b, v, d, etc., and in the vowels;
        sonant, or intonated, utterance; tone; -- distinguished
        from mere breath sound as heard in f, s, sh, etc., and
        also whisper.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: Voice, in this sense, is produced by vibration of the
           so-called vocal cords in the larynx (see Illust. of
           Larynx) which act upon the air, not in the manner of
           the strings of a stringed instrument, but as a pair of
           membranous tongues, or reeds, which, being continually
           forced apart by the outgoing current of breath, and
           continually brought together again by their own
           elasticity and muscular tension, break the breath
           current into a series of puffs, or pulses, sufficiently
           rapid to cause the sensation of tone. The power, or
           loudness, of such a tone depends on the force of the
           separate pulses, and this is determined by the pressure
           of the expired air, together with the resistance on the
           part of the vocal cords which is continually overcome.
           Its pitch depends on the number of a["e]rial pulses
           within a given time, that is, on the rapidity of their
           succession. See Guide to Pronunciation, [sect][sect] 5,
           146, 155.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     3. The tone or sound emitted by anything.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              After the fire a still small voice.   --1 Kings xix.
                                                    12.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Canst thou thunder with a voice like him? --Job xl.
                                                    9.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The floods have lifted up their voice. --Ps. xciii.
                                                    3.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              O Marcus, I am warm'd; my heart
              Leaps at the trumpet's voice.         --Addison.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. The faculty or power of utterance; as, to cultivate the
        voice.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. Language; words; speech; expression; signification of
        feeling or opinion.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              I desire to be present with you now, and to change
              my voice; for I stand in doubt of you. --Gal. iv.
                                                    20.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              My voice is in my sword.              --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Let us call on God in the voice of his church. --Bp.
                                                    Fell.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     6. Opinion or choice expressed; judgment; a vote.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Sic. How now, my masters! have you chose this man?
              1 Cit. He has our voices, sir.        --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Some laws ordain, and some attend the choice
              Of holy senates, and elect by voice.  --Dryden.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     7. Command; precept; -- now chiefly used in scriptural
        language.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              So shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient
              unto the voice of the Lord your God.  --Deut. viii.
                                                    20.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     8. One who speaks; a speaker. ``A potent voice of
        Parliament.'' --Tennyson.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     9. (Gram.) A particular mode of inflecting or conjugating
        verbs, or a particular form of a verb, by means of which
        is indicated the relation of the subject of the verb to
        the action which the verb expresses.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Active voice (Gram.), that form of the verb by which its
        subject is represented as the agent or doer of the action
        expressed by it.
  
     Chest voice (Phon.), a kind of voice of a medium or low
        pitch and of a sonorous quality ascribed to resonance in
        the chest, or thorax; voice of the thick register. It is
        produced by vibration of the vocal cords through their
        entire width and thickness, and with convex surfaces
        presented to each other.
  
     Head voice (Phon.), a kind of voice of high pitch and of a
        thin quality ascribed to resonance in the head; voice of
        the thin register; falsetto. In producing it, the
        vibration of the cords is limited to their thin edges in
        the upper part, which are then presented to each other.
  
     Middle voice (Gram.), that form of the verb by which its
        subject is represented as both the agent, or doer, and the
        object of the action, that is, as performing some act to
        or upon himself, or for his own advantage.
  
     Passive voice. (Gram.) See under Passive, a.
  
     Voice glide (Pron.), the brief and obscure neutral vowel
        sound that sometimes occurs between two consonants in an
        unaccented syllable (represented by the apostrophe), as in
        able (a"b'l). See Glide, n., 2.
  
     Voice stop. See Voiced stop, under Voiced, a.
  
     With one voice, unanimously. ``All with one voice . . .
        cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.'' --Acts xix.
        34.
        [1913 Webster]

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) :   [ web1913 ]

  Voice \Voice\, n. [OE. vois, voys, OF. vois, voiz, F. voix, L.
     vox, vocis, akin to Gr. ? a word, ? a voice, Skr. vac to say,
     to speak, G. erw["a]hnen to mention. Cf. Advocate,
     Advowson, Avouch, Convoke, Epic, Vocal, Vouch,
     Vowel.]
     1. Sound uttered by the mouth, especially that uttered by
        human beings in speech or song; sound thus uttered
        considered as possessing some special quality or
        character; as, the human voice; a pleasant voice; a low
        voice.
  
              He with a manly voice saith his message. --Chaucer.
  
              Her voice was ever soft, Gentle, and low; an
              excellent thing in woman.             --Shak.
  
              Thy voice is music.                   --Shak.
  
              Join thy voice unto the angel choir.  --Milton.
  
     2. (Phon.) Sound of the kind or quality heard in speech or
        song in the consonants b, v, d, etc., and in the vowels;
        sonant, or intonated, utterance; tone; -- distinguished
        from mere breath sound as heard in f, s, sh, etc., and
        also whisper.
  
     Note: Voice, in this sense, is produced by vibration of the
           so-called vocal cords in the larynx (see Illust. of
           Larynx) which act upon the air, not in the manner of
           the strings of a stringed instrument, but as a pair of
           membranous tongues, or reeds, which, being continually
           forced apart by the outgoing current of breath, and
           continually brought together again by their own
           elasticity and muscular tension, break the breath
           current into a series of puffs, or pulses, sufficiently
           rapid to cause the sensation of tone. The power, or
           loudness, of such a tone depends on the force of the
           separate pulses, and this is determined by the pressure
           of the expired air, together with the resistance on the
           part of the vocal cords which is continually overcome.
           Its pitch depends on the number of a["e]rial pulses
           within a given time, that is, on the rapidity of their
           succession. See Guide to Pronunciation, [sect][sect] 5,
           146, 155.
  
     3. The tone or sound emitted by anything.
  
              After the fire a still small voice.   --1 Kings xix.
                                                    12.
  
              Canst thou thunder with a voice like him? --Job xl.
                                                    9.
  
              The floods have lifted up their voice. --Ps. xciii.
                                                    3.
  
              O Marcus, I am warm'd; my heart Leaps at the
              trumpet's voice.                      --Addison.
  
     4. The faculty or power of utterance; as, to cultivate the
        voice.
  
     5. Language; words; speech; expression; signification of
        feeling or opinion.
  
              I desire to be present with you now, and to change
              my voice; for I stand in doubt of you. --Gal. iv.
                                                    20.
  
              My voice is in my sword.              --Shak.
  
              Let us call on God in the voice of his church. --Bp.
                                                    Fell.
  
     6. Opinion or choice expressed; judgment; a vote.
  
              Sic. How now, my masters! have you chose this man? 1
              Cit. He has our voices, sir.          --Shak.
  
              Some laws ordain, and some attend the choice Of holy
              senates, and elect by voice.          --Dryden.
  
     7. Command; precept; -- now chiefly used in scriptural
        language.
  
              So shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient
              unto the voice of the Lord your God.  --Deut. viii.
                                                    20.
  
     8. One who speaks; a speaker. ``A potent voice of
        Parliament.'' --Tennyson.
  
     9. (Gram.) A particular mode of inflecting or conjugating
        verbs, or a particular form of a verb, by means of which
        is indicated the relation of the subject of the verb to
        the action which the verb expresses.
  
     Active voice (Gram.), that form of the verb by which its
        subject is represented as the agent or doer of the action
        expressed by it.
  
     Chest voice (Phon.), a kind of voice of a medium or low
        pitch and of a sonorous quality ascribed to resonance in
        the chest, or thorax; voice of the thick register. It is
        produced by vibration of the vocal cords through their
        entire width and thickness, and with convex surfaces
        presented to each other.
  
     Head voice (Phon.), a kind of voice of high pitch and of a
        thin quality ascribed to resonance in the head; voice of
        the thin register; falsetto. In producing it, the
        vibration of the cords is limited to their thin edges in
        the upper part, which are then presented to each other.
  
     Middle voice (Gram.), that form of the verb by which its
        subject is represented as both the agent, or doer, and the
        object of the action, that is, as performing some act to
        or upon himself, or for his own advantage.
  
     Passive voice. (Gram.) See under Passive, a.
  
     Voice glide (Pron.), the brief and obscure neutral vowel
        sound that sometimes occurs between two consonants in an
        unaccented syllable (represented by the apostrophe), as in
        able (a"b'l). See Glide, n., 2.
  
     Voice stop. See Voiced stop, under Voiced, a.
  
     With one voice, unanimously. ``All with one voice . . .
        cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.'' --Acts xix.
        34.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) :   [ web1913 ]

  Passive \Pas"sive\, a. [L. passivus: cf. F. passif. See
     Passion.]
     1. Not active, but acted upon; suffering or receiving
        impressions or influences; as, they were passive
        spectators, not actors in the scene.
  
              The passive air Upbore their nimble tread. --Milton.
  
              The mind is wholly passive in the reception of all
              its simple ideas.                     --Locke.
  
     2. Receiving or enduring without either active sympathy or
        active resistance; without emotion or excitement; patient;
        not opposing; unresisting; as, passive obedience; passive
        submission.
  
              The best virtue, passive fortitude.   --Massinger.
  
     3. (Chem.) Inactive; inert; not showing strong affinity; as,
        red phosphorus is comparatively passive.
  
     4. (Med.) Designating certain morbid conditions, as
        hemorrhage or dropsy, characterized by relaxation of the
        vessels and tissues, with deficient vitality and lack of
        reaction in the affected tissues.
  
     Passive congestion (Med.), congestion due to obstruction to
        the return of the blood from the affected part.
  
     Passive iron (Chem.), iron which has been subjected to the
        action of heat, of strong nitric acid, chlorine, etc. It
        is then not easily acted upon by acids.
  
     Passive movement (Med.), a movement of a part, in order to
        exercise it, made without the assistance of the muscles
        which ordinarily move the part.
  
     Passive obedience (as used by writers on government),
        obedience or submission of the subject or citizen as a
        duty in all cases to the existing government.
  
     Passive prayer, among mystic divines, a suspension of the
        activity of the soul or intellectual faculties, the soul
        remaining quiet, and yielding only to the impulses of
        grace.
  
     Passive verb, or Passive voice (Gram.), a verb, or form
        of a verb, which expresses the effect of the action of
        some agent; as, in Latin, doceor, I am taught; in English,
        she is loved; the picture is admired by all; he is
        assailed by slander.
  
     Syn: Inactive; inert; quiescent; unresisting; unopposing;
          suffering; enduring; submissive; patient.

From WordNet (r) 2.0 :   [ wn ]

  passive voice
       n : the voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of
           the verb is the recipient (not the source) of the action
           denoted by the verb; "`The ball was thrown by the boy'
           uses the passive voice"; "`The ball was thrown' is an
           abbreviated passive" [syn: passive] [ant: active voice]

From English Wiktionary: All languages (2023-07-27) :   [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-ALL-2023-07-27 ]

  passive voice
     n.
     (lb en grammar) The form of a transitive verb in which its subject
  receives the action.

From English Wiktionary: English language only (2023-07-27) :   [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-en-2023-07-27 ]

  passive voice
     n.
     (lb en grammar) The form of a transitive verb in which its subject
  receives the action.

From English Wiktionary: Western, Greek, and Slavonic languages only (2023-07-27) :   [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-Western_Greek_Slavonic-2023-07-27 ]

  passive voice
     n.
     (lb en grammar) The form of a transitive verb in which its subject
  receives the action.

From English Wiktionary: Western languages only (2023-07-27) :   [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-Western-2023-07-27 ]

  passive voice
     n.
     (lb en grammar) The form of a transitive verb in which its subject
  receives the action.

From Finnish Wiktionary: All languages (2023-07-27) :   [ dictinfo.com:wikt-fi-ALL-2023-07-27 ]

  passive voice
     Englanti n.
     (yhteys kielitiede k=en) passiivi

From Swedish Wiktionary: All languages (2023-07-27) :   [ dictinfo.com:wikt-sv-ALL-2023-07-27 ]

  passive voice
     Engelska n.
     (tagg språk=en grammatik) passivum; en diates

From English-български език FreeDict+WikDict dictionary ver. 2023.05.29 :   [ freedict:eng-bul ]

  passive voice /pˈasɪv vˈɔɪs/ 
  паси́вен зало́г, страда́телен зало́г
  grammatical term

From English-Czech dicts.info/FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.1.3 :   [ freedict:eng-ces ]

  passive voice /pˈasɪv vˈɔɪs/
   [lingv] trpný rod

From English-suomi FreeDict+WikDict dictionary ver. 2023.05.29 :   [ freedict:eng-fin ]

  passive voice /pˈasɪv vˈɔɪs/ 
  passiivi
  grammatical term

From English-Hungarian FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.2.1 :   [ freedict:eng-hun ]

  passive voice /pˈasɪv vˈɔɪs/
  1. szenvedô igealak
  2. szenvedô alak

From English-日本語 (にほんご) FreeDict+WikDict dictionary ver. 2023.05.29 :   [ freedict:eng-jpn ]

  passive voice /pˈasɪv vˈɔɪs/ 
  受身, 受動態, 所相
  grammatical term

From English-Svenska FreeDict+WikDict dictionary ver. 2023.05.29 :   [ freedict:eng-swe ]

  passive voice /pˈasɪv vˈɔɪs/ 
  passivum, passiv form
  grammatical term

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