-ence

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

QUIZZES

DON’T VACILLATE! VANQUISH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

It’d be a real faux pas to miss this quiz on the words from August 3–9, 2020!
Question 1 of 7
What does “vacillate” mean?
to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.
to cause to be empty or unoccupied.
to assent tacitly; agree; consent.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of -ence

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

Words nearby -ence

encase, encasement, encash, encastré, encaustic, -ence, enceinte, Enceladus, encephal-, encephalalgia, encephalasthenia
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

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