desinence

[ des-uh-nuhns ]

noun

a termination or ending, as the final line of a verse.
Grammar. a termination, ending, or suffix of a word.

Origin of desinence

1590–1600; <French <Medieval Latin dēsinentia, equivalent to Latin dēsinent- (stem of dēsinēns), present participle of dēsinere to put down, leave (dē-de- + sinere to leave) + -ia-ia; see -ence

Other words from desinence

des·i·nent, des·i·nen·tial [des-uh-nen-shuhl], /ˌdɛs əˈnɛn ʃəl/, adjective

Words Nearby desinence

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use desinence in a sentence

Conservation must, therefore, be the rule, and desinence the impossible exception.
Life: Its True Genesis | R. W. Wright
Unquestionably the incomers from Brabant and Flanders, whether as troopers or artisans, gave a great impulse to the desinence.
Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature | Charles W. Bardsley

British Dictionary definitions for desinence

desinence

/ (ˈdɛsɪnəns) /

noun

grammar an ending or termination, esp an inflectional ending of a word

Origin of desinence

C16: from French désinence, from Latin dēsinēns ending, from dēsinere to leave off, from de- + sinere to leave, permit

Derived forms of desinence

desinent or desinential (ˌdɛsɪˈnɛnʃəl), adjective

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

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