"formative" in the noun sense
1. formative
minimal language unit that has a syntactic (or morphological) function
"formative" in the adjective sense
1. formative
capable of forming new cells and tissues
"a formative zone in developing bone"
2. formative, shaping, plastic
forming or capable of forming or molding or fashioning
"a formative influence"
"a formative experience"
"the plastic forces of nature"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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