suffix
/'sʌfiks/
Definition
Noun:
- A linguistic element added to the end of a word: A "suffix" is a type of affix (a letter or group of letters) that is attached to the end of a base word to create a new word or a different form of the same word. It often changes the word's grammatical function or meaning.
Verb:
- To attach a suffix to a word: The action of adding a suffix to the end of a base word.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- The suffix "-ness" can be added to the adjective "kind" to form the noun "kindness".
- In the word "quickly," "-ly" is a suffix that turns the adjective "quick" into an adverb.
Verb:
- You can suffix "-ed" to the verb "walk" to form the past tense "walked".
- Linguists study how to correctly suffix words to create plurals, like adding "-s" or "-es".
Advanced Usage
- Derivational vs. Inflectional Suffixes: Suffixes can be categorized by their function.
- Derivational Suffixes create new words, often of a different part of speech (e.g., teach (verb) + -er = teacher (noun)).
- Inflectional Suffixes modify a word to express grammatical information like tense, number, or case without changing its core part of speech (e.g., walk + -ed = walked (past tense)).
Variants and Related Words
- Suffixation (n): The process of adding a suffix.
- The suffixation of "-able" to "read" creates "readable".
- Suffixed (adj): Describing a word that has a suffix attached.
- "Happiness" is a suffixed form of "happy".
Synonyms
- Ending: A less technical term for a suffix, especially an inflectional one.
- Postfix: A synonym used in some linguistic contexts.
Related Phrases
(Note: "Suffix" itself is not commonly used in phrasal verbs. The following describes its grammatical use.) - To take a suffix: Describes a base word's ability to have a suffix attached. - Many adjectives can take the suffix "-ly" to become adverbs.
Related Idioms
(Note: There are no common idioms featuring the word "suffix" itself.)
Noun
-
an affix that is added at the end of the word
Verb
-
attach a suffix to
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suffix words
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