What does ejaculative mean?
Ejaculative is a rare adjective describing something of the nature of an ejaculation — that is, a sudden, involuntary utterance or exclamation. In its oldest and most literary use, it characterizes speech or writing marked by abrupt, exclamatory outbursts, as when an author's style is called ejaculative because it breaks repeatedly into short cries of emotion. It was especially common in older devotional contexts, where 'ejaculatory' or 'ejaculative' prayers were brief, spontaneous petitions rather than formal liturgy. The word can also carry a physiological sense, relating to ejaculation, though in that domain the more usual form is 'ejaculatory'. Derived ultimately from Latin iaculare, meaning to throw or hurl forth, the word belongs to a family whose everyday associations have shifted decisively toward anatomy, leaving the older exclamatory sense sounding quaint or archaic to most modern readers. Writers seeking clarity generally prefer synonyms such as exclamatory or interjectional.
Of the nature of an ejaculation; characterized by sudden, brief exclamatory utterances.
"The poet's ejaculative lines burst onto the page like startled cries."
Now rare; chiefly found in historical or literary criticism describing older prose and devotional writing.
Relating to or involving physiological ejaculation.
"The medical text described the ejaculative reflex in clinical terms."
The form ejaculatory is strongly preferred in modern physiological writing.
Before it carried any anatomical meaning, to 'ejaculate' simply meant to blurt something out — which is why old novels are full of characters 'ejaculating' in surprise.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ejaculative
Ejaculative derives from the verb ejaculate, which comes from Latin eiaculatus, the past participle of eiaculari, formed from e- ('out') plus iaculari ('to throw, hurl'), itself from iaculum, a dart or javelin, rooted in the verb iacere, 'to throw'. The word entered English in the seventeenth century, when to ejaculate meant to throw out words suddenly — hence its early use for exclamations and brief prayers. Cognates sharing the Latin root iacere include eject, inject, project, and jet, all built on the image of throwing or casting forth.
Related word forms
How ejaculative is actually used
A rare, somewhat literary word today. In the exclamatory sense it appears mostly in discussions of older prose and religious writing, where 'ejaculation' meant any sudden utterance or short prayer. Because the dominant modern sense of the word family is sexual, writers often avoid this term altogether, preferring 'exclamatory' or 'interjectional'.
Easily confused with ejaculative
Ejaculatory is the far more common adjective for both the exclamatory and physiological senses, while ejaculative is a rarer variant largely confined to the exclamatory sense.