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# determinate

«determinate» in Mova's school dictionary: **fixed, exact and clearly limited, not vague** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

adjective (determinate; not compared)

### meaning for a pupil

1) (formal) Determinate means fixed, exact and clearly limited, not vague. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determinate/#m1)

2) (science) A determinate plant, like some tomato plants, grows to a fixed size and then stops. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determinate/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In maths and science, a determinate quantity has one exact value; a determinate answer can be worked out exactly. In gardening, determinate tomatoes are bushy and ripen together. In law, a determinate sentence is for a fixed time. Opposite: indeterminate.

### examples

- The problem has a determinate answer: 12. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determinate/#x1)
- The prisoner got a determinate sentence of five years. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determinate/#x2)
- Determinate tomato plants stop growing at about one metre. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determinate/#x3)
- The recipe gives a determinate amount of flour. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determinate/#x4)
- The number of people at the party was determinate, so we bought exactly enough cake. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determinate/#x5)
- Some puzzles have more than one answer and are not determinate. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determinate/#x6)

### note

Formal and rare. Pronounced «dih-TER-min-it». Opposite: indeterminate. Do not confuse with determined (a determined person will not give up). In maths, «determinate» means only one exact answer.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «determinate» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/determinate/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.