Definition of "applicative"

applicative

/əˈplɪkətɪv/

adjective
comparative more applicative, superlative most applicative
1. Having practical application; applicable.
2. (computing) Of a programming language: using successive functional transformations on data to arrive at a result.
3. Involving the application of an operator on an operand.
noun
plural applicatives
1. (grammar) A grammatical construct that casts a peripheral noun phrase as direct object.
  Quotations
  It remains a puzzle why some languages allow multiple applicatives while others prohibit them. In Salish, examples of multiple applicatives are attested in Columbian, Lushootseed, Tillamook, and the three Northern Interior languages.
  2010, Kaoru Kiyosawa, Donna Gerdts, Salish Applicatives, page 370