qualificatoryadj.
/ˈkwɒlᵻfᵻkət(ə)ri/, /ˌkwɒlᵻfᵻˈkeɪt(ə)ri/, U.S. /ˈkwɑləfəkəˌtɔri/, /ˈkwɔləfəkəˌtɔri/ 1. Having the character of qualifying, modifying, or restricting something; tending or serving to qualify.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > qualification > [adjective] > imposing conditions
circumstantiatinga1652
stipulatory1658
savinga1662
reserving1670
stipulating1737
qualificatory1739
conditioning1860
conditionating1888
1739 R. Foley Laws Relating to Poor 88 The Court..held the Statute to be only Directory, and not Restrictive or Qualificatory.
1805 W. Taylor in Ann. Rev. 3 651 That evasive, Jesuitic, qualificatory extenuation.
1830 G. P. R. James De L'Orme xlvi. 319 The Count would hardly hear of any qualificatory measures.
1868 Visct. Strangford Sel. Writings (1869) II. 247 A qualificatory commonplace.
1910 Times 4 Apr. 10/4 He merely wishes the..Mayoress to use some qualificatory terms that would imply..that..other Bishops than hers are Catholic.
1930 Amer. Speech 5 367 One can easily fancy him writing with a dictionary of qualificatory words and phrases.
2002 Prospect Dec. 42/2 Dickinson..is ‘the best mind..among western poets in nearly four centuries’. What's that qualificatory ‘nearly’ doing there.
2. Of an examination, etc.: that qualifies; that confers a qualification.
ΚΠ
1889 Academy 12 Oct. 233/2 Some teachers urge..that examinations should be solely qualificatory.
1928 Times 19 July 17/5 Certain members..have devoted themselves to this work, either as a recreation or as the subject for qualificatory theses.
1972 Times 1 July 15/7 Aspirants to Equity membership should not be subjected to a qualificatory test.
2001 Asiainfo Daily China News (Nexis) 23 July Since..June..67 chemical industry enterprises successively passed the qualificatory checkup.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1739