PREPAR'ATIVE,adjective Tending to prepare or make ready; having the power of preparing, qualifying or fitting for any thing; preparatory. He spent much time in quest of knowledge preparative to this work. PREPAR'ATIVE, noun That which has the power of preparing or previously fitting for a purpose; that which prepares. Resolvedness in sin can with no reason be imagined a preparative to remission. 1. That which is done to prevent an evil or secure some good. The miseries we suffer may be preparative of future blessings. 2. Preparation; as, to make the necessary preparatives for a voyage.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI