don·a·tive (d??n?-t?v, d?n??-)n. A special donation; a gift.adj. Characterized by, constituting, or subject to donation.[Latin d?n?t?vum, from neuter of d?n?t?vus, of a donation, from d?n?tus, past participle of d?n?re, to give; see donation.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.donative (?d??n?t?v) n1. a gift or donation2. a benefice capable of being conferred as a giftadj3. of or like a donation4. being or relating to a benefice[C15: from Latin d?n?t?vum donation made to soldiers by a Roman emperor, from d?n?re to present]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014don?a?tive (?d?n ? t?v, ?do? n?-) n. a gift or donation. [1400?50; late Middle English