interrogative

n. in linguistics, the form of a sentence used to pose a question rather than to make a statement, issue a command, and so on, or the mood of the verb used in such constructions. In English there are two main types of interrogative: yes/no questions (e.g., Are you going?) and wh- questions using what, when, where, who, and how (e.g., Where are you going?). Both types require the use of an auxiliary verb (usually be, have, or do). The structural relationships between the declarative and interrogative forms of a sentence are of major interest in generative grammar and psycholinguistics (see auxiliary inversion). Compare imperative; indicative; subjunctive.

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Psychology term of the day

February 1st 2025

hellebore

n. any plant of the genus Veratrum but particularly Veratrum viride, a poisonous plant indigenous to North America that has a history of use by Native Americans for various medicinal purposes. It contains more than 20 alkaloids, including veratrine, which has analgesic properties when used topically but produces prolonged muscle contractions when ingested. The hellebore alkaloids were also used medicinally in England as well as America in the 18th and 19th centuries in the treatment of numerous conditions, including seizures, neuralgia, headaches, and respiratory problems. They have been used more recently to lower blood pressure but generally are avoided because of their potential toxicity. The name hellebore is also given to poisonous ornamental plants of the Eurasian genus Helleborus.