-ensis

1. a Latin adjectival suffix meaning “pertaining to,” “originating in,” used in modern Latin scientific coinages, especially derivatives of placenames.

   canadensis; carolinensis.

Word History and Origins

Origin of -ensis¹

< Latin -ēnsis; -ese

Example Sentences

There’s the satisfying meat and potatoes of exploration at Castle Ensis, with vertiginous balustrades and winding ramparts that cross over and under themselves in impossible architectural configurations.

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The shell of Ensis directus really does look like an old-fashioned straightedge razor, narrow and thin, or a jackknife, per its other common name, Atlantic jackknife clam.

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The Atlantic razor clam, Ensis directus, has been dubbed "the Ferrari of underwater diggers".

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Quantumcunque ferox tuus hic, Petre, fulminat ensis, Tu tibi jam pugnas, � bone, non Domino.

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—ENSIS asks, "What is the usual test of a good blade?"

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