suffix

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

/ noun ˈsʌf ɪks; verb ˈsʌf ɪks, səˈfɪks /

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See synonyms for: suffix / suffixes on Thesaurus.com

noun

Grammar. an affix that follows the element to which it is added, as -ly in kindly.

something added to the end of something else.

verb (used with object)

Grammar. to add as a suffix.

to affix at the end of something.

to fix or put under.

verb (used without object) Grammar.

to admit a suffix.

to add a suffix.

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Origin of suffix

1595–1605; <New Latin suffixum, noun use of neuter of Latin suffixus (past participle of suffīgere to attach on top of), equivalent to suf-suf- + fixus (see fix)

OTHER WORDS FROM suffix

suf·fix·al

[suhf-ik-suhl, suh-fik-], /ˈsʌf ɪk səl, səˈfɪk-/, adjectivesuf·fix·a·tion

[suhf-ik-sey-shuhn], /ˌsʌf ɪkˈseɪ ʃən/, suf·fix·ion

[suh-fik-shuhn], /səˈfɪk ʃən/, nounun·suf·fixed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for suffix

Long suffixes abound, and the style becomes, in consequence, frequently high-sounding and exaggerated.
Frdric Mistral|Charles Alfred Downer
In its conjugations, the pronouns are incorporated with the verb, either as prefixes or suffixes.
The Indian in his Wigwam|Henry R. Schoolcraft
But this number is indiscriminate, and leaves the sense vague, until the pronominal suffixes are superadded.
The Indian in his Wigwam|Henry R. Schoolcraft
Had Omar explained the Koran or had views on the suffixes of words, all would have been well.
A Boswell of Baghdad|E. V. Lucas

Great emphasis is laid on prefixes and suffixes, the origin of words, and pronunciation.
'Round the Year in Myth and Song|Florence Holbrook

British Dictionary definitions for suffix

suffix

noun (ˈsʌfɪks)

grammar an affix that follows the stem to which it is attached, as for example -s and -ness in dogs and softnessCompare prefix (def. 1)

anything that is added at the end of something else

verb (ˈsʌfɪks, səˈfɪks)

(tr) grammar to add (a morpheme) as a suffix to the end of a word

(tr) to add (something) at the end of a sentence, comment, or piece of writing

Derived forms of suffix

suffixal (ˈsʌfɪksəl), adjectivesuffixion (sʌˈfɪkʃən), noun

Word Origin for suffix

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

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

Cultural definitions for suffix

suffix

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: “willing,” “management,” “serviceable,” “harmonize,” and “joyful.” (Compare prefix.)

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