Optative \Op"ta*tive\, a. [L. optativus: cf. F. optatif.] Expressing desire or wish. --Fuller. {Optative mood} (Gram.), that mood or form of a verb, as in Greek, Sanskrit, etc., in which a wish or desire is expressed.
optative mood n : a mood (as in Greek or Sanskrit) that expresses a wish or hope; expressed in English by modal verbs [syn: {optative}]