operative word

== English == === Noun === operative word (plural operative words) The key word in a sentence. Planes crash rarely, but for the media the operative word is "crash". === Further reading === “operative word”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present. “the operative word” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman. “the operative word” (US) / “the operative word” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.