definitions

-ence

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

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English Affixes From A To Z: A One-Stop List Of Suffixes, Prefixes, and Combining FormsIn English, we love to make new words by adding all sorts of bits to the front and back of existing terms. These are called affixes, and they are added to the base or stem of a word. When attached to the end of word, the affix is called a suffix. And to the beginning? A prefix.
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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