The adjective definitive , which comes from the Latin word definitīvus , qualifies that which concludes, finishes off, resolves or consummates something . The definitive cannot be reversed or left without effect.
For example: “The definitive closure of the premises will take place next Friday” , “The government promised to publish a definitive report on what happened during the riots, detailing the damage and the number of detainees” , “It is definitive: the German club "He rejected the offer and announced that he will not sell the forward."
To study the etymology of this term, it is necessary to refer to the verb define , which refers to "understanding something precisely." When we define a word or a problem, we expose a series of features that characterize them, we establish a series of limits that help us distinguish them from other things that are related to them. In the particular case of definitive , the suffix -ivo is added, which is used in the formation of adjectives and certain nouns that have the ability to achieve what their base means, or that are inclined to do so.
Take the case of a company that faces a serious economic crisis. In the last year, so that its debt does not increase too much, it was forced to lay off workers and limit itself to offering certain products in an attempt to cut its costs. However, the company's balance sheet remains negative. Faced with this situation, the owner announces the definitive cessation of his activities : this means that the company will no longer operate.
Suppose, on the other hand, that two people are negotiating the sale of a car. The seller sets an initial price and then the person interested in purchasing the vehicle makes a lower offer. The negotiation continues with different proposals until the potential buyer decides to make a final offer, announcing that this price is final for him since he is not willing to pay a cent more. This decision marks the end of the talks.
Within the framework of an electoral process, the count of votes with legal validity , which is carried out under the direction of an electoral judge, is called final scrutiny . In this scrutiny the situation of the appealed and contested votes is resolved. Once appeals have been exhausted, the final scrutiny allows access to the final result of the elections, which establishes the attribution of positions.
The term definitive has gained a lot of popularity in recent times, especially in the field of products such as movies, video games and electronic devices. In these cases, we speak of "the definitive version " of something, to refer to one that has been reviewed by its creators, that has received the relevant error correction process and to which different features have been added that make it better than the original, to the point of being able to consider it "impeccable."
Although there are those who believe that the definitive version of a product is nothing more than an excuse to sell it again, there are also many fans who appreciate these new installments of their favorite movies, games or devices, with improvements and extra content that make them extremely tempting In the first two cases, it is customary for creators to add content that has never been published before.
The definitive version of a film, for example, usually includes unpublished scenes, which are presented without all the post-production layers present in the rest of the film, and many times with on-screen annotations that give it a very close touch, since They take the audience into the editing room and give them a more precise idea of the effort that went into the project . There may also be biographies of the actors, interactive content and commentary from the filmmakers.