a. Obs. [ad. L. co(n)nexīv-us serving to connect; f. co(n)nex- ppl. stem (see CONNEX v.) + -IVE.]
1. Conditional, hypothetical (i.e., said of a proposition whose parts or clauses are connected together as antecedent and consequent).
1584. Fenner, Def. Ministers (1587), 56. Concluded in a connexiue or condicionall sillogisme.
1605. A. Wotton, Answ. Pop. Articles, 6. A compound Syllogisme is either Connexiue, or Disiunctiue.
c. 1620. A. Hume, Brit. Tongue (1865), 33. The conjunction … copulative, as and; connexive, as if; disjunctive, as or; or discretive, as howbeit.
1725. Watts, Logic, III. ii. § 5. A connexive Syllogism. This some have called copulative; but it does by no means require the major to be a copulative nor a compound Proposition.
2. Conjunctive.
1645. Milton, Tetrach., Wks. 1738, I. 229. Brought in by this connexive particle Therfore.
1668. Wilkins, Real Char., 312. Those two kinds of Connexive Particles which serve for the contexture of sentence with sentence, are called Adverbs and Conjunctions.
1776. G. Campbell, Philos. Rhet. (1801), II. 363. The general name of Connexive I shall apply indiscriminately to them all.
3. Tending to connect; connective.
1776. G. Campbell, Philos. Rhet. (1801), I. 188. Of all the connexive circumstances the most powerful is interest.
b. Connexive tissue: = connective tissue.
1854. Bushnan, in Circ. Sc. (c. 1865), II. 12/1. The … name ‘connexive tissue’ has been proposed for it [areolar tissue].
