-ite
1Save This Word!
a suffix of nouns denoting especially persons associated with a place, tribe, leader, doctrine, system, etc. (Campbellite; Israelite; laborite); minerals and fossils (ammonite; anthracite); explosives (cordite; dynamite); chemical compounds, especially salts of acids whose names end in -ous (phosphite; sulfite); pharmaceutical and commercial products (vulcanite); a member or component of a part of the body (somite).
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Compare -itis.
Origin of -ite
1Middle English <Latin -ita<Greek -itēs; often directly <Greek; in some words representing French -ite,German -it, etc. <Latin <Greek, as above
Words nearby -ite
Definition for -ite (2 of 2)
-ite2
a suffix forming adjectives and nouns from adjectives, and from some verbs: composite; opposite; erudite; requisite.
Origin of -ite
2<Latin -itus or -ītus past participle suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for -ite
Why Do “Left” And “Right” Mean Liberal And Conservative?
What Is The Difference Between “It’s” And “Its”?
What Is “GOP” Short For?
“Effectiveness” vs. “Efficacy” vs. “Efficiency”: When To Use Each Word For The Best Results
“Vaccinate” vs. “Inoculate” vs. “Immunize”: What Are The Differences?
9 Of The Most Common Types of Pronouns
British Dictionary definitions for -ite (1 of 2)
-ite1
suffix forming nouns
a native or inhabitant ofIsraelite
a follower or advocate of; a member or supporter of a groupLuddite; labourite
(in biology) indicating a division of a body or organsomite
indicating a mineral or rocknephrite; peridotite
indicating a commercial productvulcanite
Word Origin for -ite
via Latin -ita from Greek -itēs or directly from Greek
British Dictionary definitions for -ite (2 of 2)
-ite2
suffix forming nouns
indicating a salt or ester of an acid having a name ending in -ousa nitrite is a salt of nitrous acid
Word Origin for -ite
from French, arbitrary alteration of -ate 1
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
Medical definitions for -ite (1 of 2)
-ite 11
suff.
A part of an organ, body, or bodily part:somite.
Product:metabolite.
Medical definitions for -ite (2 of 2)
-ite 22
suff.
A salt or ester of an acid named with an adjective ending in -ous:sulfite.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for -ite
-ite
A suffix used to form the names of minerals, such as hematite and malachite.
A suffix used to form the name of a salt or ester of a specified acid whose name ends in -ous. Such salts or esters have one oxygen atom fewer than corresponding salts or esters with names ending in -ate. For example, a nitrite is a salt of nitrous acid and contains the group NO2, while a nitrate contains NO3. Compare -ate.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.