English English Dictionary

A suffix denoting

State, condition, or quality of being, as in wisdom, freedom.

The termination of the past participle of regular, or weak, verbs; also, of analogous participial adjectives from nouns; as, pigmented; talented.

A suffix used, chiefly in law terms, in a passive signification, to indicate the direct or indirect object of an action, or the one to whom an act is done or on whom a right is conferred; as in assignee, donee, alienee, grantee, etc. It is correlative to -or, the agent or doer.

The termination of the past participle of many strong verbs; as, in broken, gotten, trodden.

An adjectival suffix, meaning made of; as in golden, leaden, wooden.

A suffix signifying to make, to cause, used to form verbs from nouns and adjectives; as in strengthen, quicken, frighten. This must not be confused with -en corresponding in Old English to the AS. infinitive ending -an.

A suffix corresponding to AS. -en and -on, formerly used to form the plural of verbs, as in housen, escapen.

A suffix from AS. -an, formerly used to form the plural of many nouns, as in ashen, eyen, oxen, all obs. except oxen. In some cases, such as children and brethren, it has been added to older plural forms.

A noun suffix signifying action, state, or quality; also, that which relates to the action or state; as in emergence, diffidence, diligence, influence, difference, excellence. See -ance.

A noun suffix having much the same meaning as -ence, but more commonly signifying the quality or state; as, emergency, efficiency. See -ancy.

An adjective suffix signifying action or being; as, corrodent, excellent, emergent, continent, quiescent. See -ant.

The termination of many English words, denoting the agent; -- applied either to men or things; as in hater, farmer, heater, grater. At the end of names of places, -er signifies a man of the place; as, Londoner, i. e., London man.

A suffix used to form the comparative degree of adjectives and adverbs; as, warmer, sooner, lat(e)er, earl(y)ier.

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A suffix signifying beginning, beginning to be; as, adolescent, effervescent, etc.

of Bel-esprit

A suffix of certain words from the French, Italian, and Spanish. It denotes manner or style; like; as, arabesque, after the manner of the Arabs.

A suffix used to form feminine nouns; as, actress, deaconess, songstress.

A suffix used to form the superlative of adjectives and adverbs; as, smoothest; earl(y)iest.