Preventive or Preventative?

Apparently, wordsmiths and experts don't agree. Some say "preventive" is an adjective; "preventative" is a noun. As in, "The doctor of preventive medicine suggested aspirin as a preventative."

Others, like WordMall, say it doesn't make any difference. Both have been around about 300 years.

The first instance of preventive given by the Oxford English Dictionary is by Francis Bacon in 1626. The first citation for preventative is from Roger Boyle Orrery in 1655.

The conclusion? Neither one is a corruption, but many contemporary grammarians favor the shorter version.

Wordmall: Preventive, Preventative