-ence

American

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

-ence British

suffix

indicating an action, state, condition, or quality

benevolence
residence
patience

"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

Etymology

Origin of -ence

Middle English < Old French < Latin -entia, equivalent to -ent- -ent + -ia -y ³

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023