-ence

a noun suffix equivalent to -ance, corresponding to the suffix -ent in adjectives: abstinence; continence; dependence; difference.

Nearby words

-ella, -elle, -eme, -emia, -en, -ence, -enchyma, -ency, -end, -ene, -enne

Origin of -ence

Middle English < Old French < Latin -entia, equivalent to -ent- -ent + -ia -y³

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for -ence

-ence

-ency

suffix forming nouns

indicating an action, state, condition, or qualitybenevolence; residence; patience

Word Origin for -ence

via Old French from Latin -entia, from -ēns, present participial ending

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

Word Origin and History for -ence

-ence

see -ance.