What does communicatory mean?
'Communicatory' is a rare, formal English adjective meaning serving to communicate — that is, having the function of conveying information, ideas, or feelings from one party to another. Unlike its far more common relative 'communicative', which usually describes people who talk openly and willingly, 'communicatory' tends to describe things: a channel, a gesture, a space, or a system that enables transmission of meaning. One might speak of a building's communicatory layout or language as a communicatory instrument. The word derives from Latin 'communicare', meaning to share or make common, the same root that gives us 'communication', 'communion', and 'community'. Because of its rarity and formality, it appears mainly in scholarly, philosophical, or literary writing, and most everyday contexts are better served by 'communicative' or simpler phrasing.
adjectiveServing to communicate or convey information, ideas, or feelings; having the function of transmitting thought between people. It is a rare, formal adjective closely related in sense to 'communicative', but it describes something that enables or performs communication rather than a person's willingness to converse.
- Serving to transmit or convey information, ideas, or feelings from one person to another.
"The open courtyard served an almost communicatory purpose, allowing neighbours to exchange news across its colonnades."
"The design of the new office space was praised for its communicatory openness, encouraging spontaneous exchange between teams."
"In his treatise, language is treated above all as a communicatory instrument rather than an ornament of thought."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of communicatory
'Communicatory' comes from the Latin verb 'communicare', meaning to share, make common, or impart, itself built on 'communis', meaning common or shared. The word entered English through post-classical Latin forms and became established in English scholarly prose by around the seventeenth century. It shares this root with 'communication', 'communicant', 'communion', and 'community', all of which preserve the core idea of making something shared between people.
How communicatory is actually used
'Communicatory' is rare and formal; in ordinary usage writers almost always prefer 'communicative'. It appears chiefly in academic or literary prose, and it typically modifies things (channels, spaces, gestures, systems) rather than describing people's personalities.
Easily confused with communicatory
'Communicative' describes a person who talks freely and readily shares information, while 'communicatory' describes something that serves the function of conveying information.
'Communicable' most often refers to diseases that can be transmitted between people (or, archaically, to ideas that can be conveyed), whereas 'communicatory' simply means serving to communicate.