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Ful
1[ fool ]
-ful
2- a suffix meaning “full of,” “characterized by” ( shameful; beautiful; careful; thoughtful ); “tending to,” “able to” ( wakeful; harmful ); “as much as will fill” ( spoonful ).
-ful
suffix
- forming adjectives full of or characterized by
spiteful
painful
restful
- forming adjectives able or tending to
helpful
useful
- forming nouns indicating as much as will fill the thing specified
mouthful
spoonful
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Usage
Where the amount held by a spoon, etc, is used as a rough unit of measurement, the correct form is spoonful , etc: take a spoonful of this medicine every day . Spoon full is used in a sentence such as he held out a spoon full of dark liquid , where full of describes the spoon. A plural form such as spoonfuls is preferred by many speakers and writers to spoonsful
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Spelling Note
The plurals of nouns ending in -ful are usually formed by adding -s to the suffix: two cupfuls; two scant teaspoonfuls. Perhaps influenced by the phrase in which a noun is followed by the adjective full ( both arms full of packages ), some speakers and writers pluralize such nouns by adding -s before the suffix: two cupsful.
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of Ful1
Old English -ful, -full , from full 1
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