connective

Word family

• connect
  verbA2
• connection
  nounA2
• connector
  nounB2
• connectivity
  nounC1
• connectedness
  nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe items that join other pieces of language together, but they sit at different levels of formality and scope. 'Conjunction' is the strictest grammar term, covering only a closed set of words such as 'and', 'but', 'or', 'because', and 'although'; it is the label used in formal grammar books. 'Connective' is broader and more common in classroom writing instruction: it covers conjunctions plus linking adverbs like 'however' and 'therefore' and time markers like 'before' and 'after'. 'Connector' is broader still and can also describe a physical link — a cable connector, for example — so it is less precise in a grammar context. 'Linker' is an informal teaching term, frequent in EFL coursebooks. A teacher might say 'use more connectives in your essay' but a grammar reference would say 'this is a subordinating conjunction'.

Common collocations

Etymology

From Latin 'connectere' (to bind or fasten together), built from 'com-' (together) and 'nectere' (to tie or bind). The adjective form entered English in the early 1600s, first in general 'serving to join' uses and later in anatomy for body tissue that holds parts together. The noun use as a grammar term — a word that links other words — became established in 19th-century English-language teaching.