-euse

1. a suffix occurring in loanwords from French, forming feminine nouns corresponding to nouns ending in -eur: chanteuse.

Word History and Origins

Origin of -euse¹

< French < Latin -ōsa, feminine of -ōsus -ose ¹ (> French -eux ); taken as feminine of -eur when this suffix had lost its final consonant (later restored) and was homonymous with -eux (hence, masculine -eu ( r ), feminine -euse, by analogy with -eux, -euse )