suffix

[ noun suhf-iks; verb suhf-iks, suh-fiks ]
See synonyms for: suffixsuffixes on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. Grammar. an affix that follows the element to which it is added, as -ly in kindly.

  2. something added to the end of something else.

verb (used with object)
  1. Grammar. to add as a suffix.

  2. to affix at the end of something.

  1. to fix or put under.

verb (used without object)Grammar.
  1. to admit a suffix.

  2. to add a suffix.

Origin of suffix

1
First recorded in 1595–1605; from New Latin suffixum, noun use of neuter of Latin suffixus, past participle of suffīgere “to attach on top of,” equivalent to suf- suf- + fīgere “to fasten”; see fix

Other words from suffix

  • suf·fix·al [suhf-ik-suhl, suh-fik-], /ˈsʌf ɪk səl, səˈfɪk-/, adjective
  • suf·fix·a·tion [suhf-ik-sey-shuhn], /ˌsʌf ɪkˈseɪ ʃən/, suf·fix·ion [suh-fik-shuhn], /səˈfɪk ʃən/, noun
  • un·suf·fixed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use suffix in a sentence

  • Long suffixes abound, and the style becomes, in consequence, frequently high-sounding and exaggerated.

    Frdric Mistral | Charles Alfred Downer
  • In its conjugations, the pronouns are incorporated with the verb, either as prefixes or suffixes.

    The Indian in his Wigwam | Henry R. Schoolcraft
  • But this number is indiscriminate, and leaves the sense vague, until the pronominal suffixes are superadded.

    The Indian in his Wigwam | Henry R. Schoolcraft
  • Had Omar explained the Koran or had views on the suffixes of words, all would have been well.

    A Boswell of Baghdad | E. V. Lucas
  • Great emphasis is laid on prefixes and suffixes, the origin of words, and pronunciation.

British Dictionary definitions for suffix

suffix

noun(ˈsʌfɪks)
  1. grammar an affix that follows the stem to which it is attached, as for example -s and -ness in dogs and softness: Compare prefix (def. 1)

  2. anything that is added at the end of something else

verb(ˈsʌfɪks, səˈfɪks)
  1. (tr) grammar to add (a morpheme) as a suffix to the end of a word

  2. (tr) to add (something) at the end of a sentence, comment, or piece of writing

Origin of suffix

1
C18: from New Latin suffixum, from Latin suffixus fastened below, from suffīgere, from sub- + fīgere to fasten

Derived forms of suffix

  • suffixal (ˈsʌfɪksəl), adjective
  • suffixion (sʌˈfɪkʃən), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for suffix

suffix

A letter or a group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning. For example, adding the suffix -ter to the adjective hot turns it into the comparative adjective hotter, and adding the suffix -ly to the adjective quick turns it into the adverb quickly. Other examples of words with suffixes are: “willing,” “management,” “serviceable,” “harmonize,” and “joyful.” (Compare prefix.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.