suffix

[ noun suhf-iks; verb suhf-iks, suh-fiks ]

noun

1. Grammar. an affix that follows the element to which it is added, as -ly in kindly.
2. something added to the end of something else.

verb (used with object)

1. Grammar. to add as a suffix.
2. to affix at the end of something.
3. to fix or put under.

verb (used without object)

, Grammar.

1. to admit a suffix.
2. to add a suffix.

suffix

/ ˈsʌfɪksəl; sʌˈfɪkʃən /

noun

1. grammar an affix that follows the stem to which it is attached, as for example -s and -ness in dogs and softness Compare prefix
2. anything that is added at the end of something else

verb

1. tr grammar to add (a morpheme) as a suffix to the end of a word
2. tr to add (something) at the end of a sentence, comment, or piece of writing

suffix

1. A letter or a group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning. For example, adding the suffix -ter to the adjective hot turns it into the comparative adjective hotter , and adding the suffix -ly to the adjective quick turns it into the adverb quickly . Other examples of words with suffixes are: “will ing ,” “manage ment ,” “service able ,” “harmon ize ,” and “joy ful .” ( Compare prefix .)

Derived Forms

• suffixion, noun
• suffixal, adjective

Other Words From

• suf·fix·al [suhf, -ik-s, uh, l, s, uh, -, fik, -], adjective
• suf·fix·a·tion [suhf-ik-, sey, -sh, uh, n], suf·fix·ion [s, uh, -, fik, -sh, uh, n], noun
• un·suffixed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of suffix¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from New Latin suffixum, noun use of neuter of Latin suffixus, past participle of suffīgere “to attach on top of ,” equivalent to suf- suf- + fīgere “to fasten”; fix

Word History and Origins

Origin of suffix¹

C18: from New Latin suffixum, from Latin suffixus fastened below, from suffīgere, from sub- + fīgere to fasten

Example Sentences

Follows the rule of a place name ending in K getting an -er suffix.

From Popular-Science

This is because of a language process called derivational morphology, which controls what suffixes we add to the ends of words to create new ones.

From Popular-Science

It’s a term the protesting doctors have coined by combining the word “mix” and the suffix “pathy,” or disease.

From Quartz

“I think Spire is just the suffix,” said Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi.

From The Daily Beast

At a later time, wonder, when thus used adverbially, received the adverbial suffix -s; hence Th.

From Project Gutenberg

When the exact sense was lost, the suffix -al seemed to be adjectival, and the word dismal became at last an adjective.

From Project Gutenberg

This suffix is the equivalent of the French -age, and is a suffix of frequent occurrence in forming new words.

From Project Gutenberg

I have a list now before me of 521 places with this suffix, distributed over twenty-five counties.

From Project Gutenberg

Exeter, Wroxeter and perhaps Uttoxeter show the suffix in slightly different form.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Suffix

What does suffix mean?

A suffix is a letter or group of letters placed at the end of a word to create a new word. For example, you can add the suffix -y to sleep to make sleepy or the suffix -er to loud to make louder.

Suffixes are a handy tool of grammar that allows you to make a new word with a meaning that is closely related to the word the suffix is being attached to.

Suffixes sometimes change the part of speech of the words they are added to. The verb create, for example, becomes the noun creation when you add the suffix -tion to it. To make create an adjective, you’d add the suffix -ive to make creative.

Sometimes, a suffix changes the meaning of the word it is attached to. For example, the word defense means protection, but if you add the suffix -less, you end up with the adjective defenseless, which means unprotected.

Why is suffix important?

The first records of the word suffix come from around 1595. It ultimately comes from the Latin verb suffīgere, which means “to attach on top of.”

A suffix is attached to the end of a word. Another type of affix commonly used in English is the prefix, which is attached to the beginning of a word, as with re- in reinvent.

Some suffixes are so common that you can easily tell what part of speech the word with the suffix is, even if you don’t know the exact definition, just by looking at the suffix. The suffix -ness, for example, turns adjectives and participles into nouns that mark a state or quality. For example, the words selfish, handsome, and quick become selfishness, handsomeness, and quickness.

Did you know ... ?

Many languages use suffixes. For example, French uses -ette to denote smallness, Spanish uses -ista to denote a person who does something (like English’s -er), and the German -ismus to denote an action or idea (like English’s -ism).

What are real-life examples of suffix?

This chart gives examples of some commonly used suffixes:

<img loading="lazy" src="https://www.bellevuecollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/58/2017/03/adjectiv-endlings.png" alt="" width="474" height="395" />

Bellevue College (Health Sciences, Education & Wellness Institute)

Tons of English words have suffixes.

Annoy. Annoying. Annoyed.

Amazing how suffixes can change the nuance and meaning of a word.

— Audrey Tan (@Caffeinefixati1) August 17, 2020

The suffix -phoria refers to feeling, as in euphoria or dysphoria.

— Medical Vocabulary (@MedVocab) August 19, 2020

What other words are related to suffix?

• affix
• prefix
• infix
• grammar
• diminutive
• comparative

Quiz yourself!

True or False?

A suffix is a letter or group of letters placed at the beginning of a word to create a new word.