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desinence

[ des-uh-nuhns ]
/ ˈdɛs ə nəns /
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noun

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

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Question 1 of 7
Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?
First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.
First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.
First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
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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

designer gene, designing, designment, desilver, desilverize, desinence, desipramine, desipramine hydrochloride, desirable, desire, desired
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for desinence

  • 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

Derived forms of desinence

desinent or desinential (ˌdɛsɪˈnɛnʃəl), adjective

Word Origin for desinence

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