-ous

American  

1. a suffix forming adjectives that have the general sense “possessing, full of ” a given quality (covetous; glorious; nervous; wondrous ); -ous and its variant -ious have often been used to Anglicize Latin adjectives with terminations that cannot be directly adapted into English (atrocious; contiguous; garrulous; obvious; stupendous ). As an adjective-forming suffix of neutral value, it regularly Anglicizes Greek and Latin adjectives derived without suffix from nouns and verbs; many such formations are productive combining forms in English, sometimes with a corresponding nominal combining form that has no suffix;

2. a suffix forming adjectival correspondents to the names of chemical elements; specialized, in opposition to like adjectives ending in -ic, to mean the lower of two possible valences (stannous chloride, SnCl 2 , and stannic chloride SnCl4 ).

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-ous British  

suffix

1. having, full of, or characterized by

   dangerous

   spacious

   languorous

2. (in chemistry) indicating that an element is chemically combined in the lower of two possible valency states Compare -ic

   ferrous

   stannous

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Etymology

Origin of -ous

Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin -ōsus; a doublet of -ose ¹

Example Sentences

Professor Hoshino, an expert in plant systematics, founded the Institute of Viticulture and Enology at OUS in April 2017.

From Science Daily

To bring the idea to life, OUS signed a comprehensive partnership agreement in February 2018 with Kurashiki City and Funao Winery.

From Science Daily

President Hirano noted: "Collaboration among industry, academia, and government is essential for building innovative local communities. OUS will continue integrating education and research, returning the results to the community, and contributing to solving regional and social issues."

From Science Daily

At present, 20 Muscat Shiragai vines are being cultivated at both Funao Winery and the OUS vineyard, producing 41.6 kilograms of grapes in 2024.

From Science Daily

At a press event hosted by OUS, Professor Hoshino shared his vision: "I wanted to create a wine grape that incorporates wild genetic traits. If this grape becomes widely cultivated and its wine contributes to regional revitalization and tourism, that would be the best outcome."

From Science Daily