† desertiveadj.

/dɪˈzəːtɪv/Etymology: < desert n.1 + -ive suffix.
Obsolete.
rare.
society > morality > dueness or propriety > [adjective] > deserving (good or ill) > deserving by merit
1596 T. Nashe sig. Q3v Master Bodley..a Gentleman..of singular desertiue reckoning & industrie.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1895; most recently modified version published online June 2018).