Preventative

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Preventative \Pre*vent"a*tive\, n.
     That which prevents; -- incorrectly used instead of
     preventive.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:



  preventative
       adj 1: tending to prevent or hinder [syn: {preventive}] [ant: {permissive}]
       2: preventing or contributing to the prevention of disease;
          "preventive medicine"; "vaccines are prophylactic"; "a
          prophylactic drug" [syn: {preventive}, {prophylactic}]
       n 1: remedy that prevents or slows the course of an illness or
            disease; "the doctor recommended several preventatives"
            [syn: {preventive}, {prophylactic}]
       2: any obstruction that impedes or is burdensome [syn: {hindrance},
           {hitch}, {preventive}, {encumbrance}, {incumbrance}, {interference}]
       3: an agent or device intended to prevent conception [syn: {contraceptive},
           {preventive}, {contraceptive device}, {prophylactic
          device}, {birth control device}]