-esce

American  

1. a suffix appearing in verbs borrowed from Latin, where it had an inchoative meaning.

   convalesce; putresce.

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Usage

What does -esce mean? The suffix -esce is used to denote verbs that refer to beginning, in the sense of "having become" or "begin to be." It is occasionally used in everyday and technical terms.The form -esce comes from the Latin verbal suffix -ēscere, which is an inchoative (also known as inceptive) element meaning “to become, begin to be.” There are two equivalents of -ēscere in English: -en, as in darken and strengthen, and -fy or -ify, as in liquefy or simplify.What are variants of -esce?While -esce doesn't have any variants, it is related to the forms -escence in nouns and -escent in adjectives. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles about -escence and -escent.

Etymology

Origin of -esce

From the Latin suffix -ēscere

Example Sentences

Archbishop Manning declared some years ago, in a speech received with enthusiastic applause by the Roman dignitaries, “La Chiesa Cattolica di oggidí esce tutta nuova del fianco del Vicario di Gesù Cristo.”

From Project Gutenberg

E campa e ancor quivi di fuor n’esce.

From Project Gutenberg

Quando esce di Palazzo, suole montare in un cocchio coperto di tela incerata, et serrata a modo che non si vede.....

From Project Gutenberg

The poem is a contention between an upland and a lowland shepherd, and begins in genuine pastoral fashion: Come Titan del seno dell' aurora Esce, così con le mie pecorelle I monti cerco sema far dimora.

From Project Gutenberg

Qual mattutina stella esce de l'onde     Rugiadosa e stillante: o come fuore   Spuntò nascendo già da le feconde     Spume de l'ocean la Dea d'Amore:   Tale apparve costei: tal le sue bionde     Chiome stillavan cristallino umore.

From Project Gutenberg