adj. 1. Precisely limited or defined; definite: a determinate number; a determinate distance. 2. Conclusively settled; final. 3. Firm in purpose; resolute. 4. Botany a. Terminating in a flower and blooming in a sequence beginning with the uppermost or central flower: a determinate inflorescence. b. Not continuing indefinitely at the tip of an axis: determinate growth. [Middle English, from Latin dēterminātus, past participle of dētermināre, to determine; see DETERMINE.] de·termi·nate·ly adv. de·termi·nate·ness n. |
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