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Derivational Suffix List
I. Suffix list
With derivational suffixes, the new word has a new meaning, and is usually a different part of speech. But the new meaning is related to the old meaning - it is "derived" from the old meaning. There are several hundred derivational suffixes. The following table lists the all derivational suffixes (most common) for Lexical Tools:
| Suffix | Category | Senses | Examples | Lexical Tools Rules |
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| able$ | adj | capable, able to, can do |
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| ably$ | adv |
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| ad$ | noun | group | triad, monad | |
| ade$ | noun | lemonade, accolade, blockade | ||
| age$ | noun | forming a noun |
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| agogy$ | noun | leading | pedagogy, demagogy | |
| al$ (see -ality) | adj | aspect of, pertaining to |
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| al$ | noun | abstract noun | arrive|arrival, refuse|refusal, appraise|appraisal | |
| ality$ | noun | property (aspect, behaviour, condition) of | proportionality, sexuality (see -al and -ity) | |
| an$ | adj |
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| an$ | noun |
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| ance$ | noun | an act of, a state of, the result of (see ence$) |
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| ancy$ | noun | pregnancy, redundancy, vacancy | ||
| ant$ | adj | pertaining to, VERB + ing (see ent$) |
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| ant$ | noun | one who, that which (see ent$) |
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| ar$ | adj |
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| ar$ | noun | beggar, liar | ||
| ard$ | noun | drunkard, coward, wizard, steward | ||
| ary$ | adj | pertaining to, verb + ing (see ory$) |
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| ary$ | noun | a place where (see ory$) | diction|dictionary, seminar|seminary | |
| arch$ | noun | ruler, leader | monarch, tetrarch | |
| archy$ | noun | rule, leadership | gynarchy, anarchy | |
| arium$ | noun | a place where | aquarium | |
| asia$ | noun | fantasia|fantastic |
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| ate$ | adj | pertaining to, VERB + ing |
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| ate$ | noun | one who, that which | certify|certificate, advocate|advocate | |
| ate$ | verb | to VERB, to cause to, to make | libera|liberate, hyphen|hyphenate, concentration|concentrate, oscille|oscillate | |
| athlon$ | noun | sporting event | pentathlon, decathlon | |
| ation$ | noun | state or concept of |
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| ation$ | noun | from verb with -ate, state or concept of |
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| ative$ | noun |
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| ative$ | adj | talkative, lucrative, affirmative | ||
| atory$ | noun | laboratory, conversatory | ||
| bound$ | adv | heading in the direction of | inbound, outbound, citybound | |
| cele$, coele$, coel$ | noun | body cavity | mucocoel or mucocoele | |
| cele$ | noun | tumor, hernia | hydatidocele | |
| centesis$ | noun | puncturing | amniocentesis, rachicentesis | |
| cephalic$ | adj | relating to the head | anencephaly, macrocephaly | |
| chondrion$ | noun | small grainlike structure | mitochondrion | |
| cide$ | noun | murder, killing agent | suicide, vespacide, regicide, fratricide | |
| city$ | noun | practice | atrocity | |
| cy$ | noun | expressing the quality of an adjective | diplomacy, literacy, idiocy | |
| cycle$ | noun | circle, cycle, unit of radio frequency | epicycle, hydrocycle | |
| dom$ | noun | state or condition of | freedom, boredom, kingdom | |
| ectasia$, ectasis$ | noun | stretching out | brochiectasis, telangiectasia | |
| ectomy$ | noun | surgical removal | laryngectomy, vasectomy | |
| ed$ | adj |
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| ee$ | noun | changes verb to a noun (the object of that verb) | employee, referee, payee | |
| eer$ | adj | engineer, overseer | ||
| eme$ | noun | linguistic unit | lexeme, phoneme, morpheme | |
| emia$ | noun | blood condition | leukemia, anaemia | |
| en$ | adj | golden, wooden, written, frozen | ||
| en$ | verb | lessen, deafen, frighten | ||
| enchyma$ | noun | cellular tissue | mesenchyma, karyenchyma | |
| ence$ | noun | an act of, a state of, the result of (see ance$) |
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| ency$ | noun |
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| ent$ | adj | pertaining to, VERB + ing (see ant$) | differ|different, excellence|excellent, independency|independent, fluency|fluent | |
| ent$ | noun | one who, that which (see ant$) | residence|resident, regency|regent, superintend|superintendent | |
| eous$ | adj | courteous | ||
| er$ | noun | one who (see or$) |
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| ergy$ | noun | work | energy, synergy | |
| ern$ | adj | direction | western, northern | |
| ery$ | noun |
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| esce$ | verb | to become, to change | convalescent|convalesce | |
| ese$ | adj, noun | nationality, language | Chinese, Lebanese, Portuguese | |
| esque$ | adj | in the style of | Pythonesque, Romanesque, picturesque | |
| ess$ | noun | female | god|goddess, actor|actress, waiter|waitress, steward|stewardess, priest|priestess | |
| esthesis$, esthesia$ | noun | sensation, feeling | synesthesia, kinesthesis | |
| etic$ | adj |
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| ette$ | noun | small ~ | diskette, statuette, usherette | |
| fare$ | noun | how things are going / coming along | welfare, fanfare, warfare | |
| ful$ | adj | full of, having some or much | hand|handful, sorrow|sorrowful, forget|forgetful, hope|hopeful, use|useful, help|helpful | |
| gate$ | noun | a scandal, often political (back-formed from the Watergate scandal) | Watergate, nipplegate | |
| gnosis$ | noun | knowing | prognosis, diagnosis | |
| gon$ | noun | angle | polygon, pentagon | |
| graph$ | noun |
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| gram$ | noun |
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| gry$ | noun | adjective form of only 2 or 3 nouns in the English language | angry, hungry | |
| hedron$ | noun | seat, face | icosahedron, tetrahedron | |
| holic$ | adj | love, addiction | alcoholic, workaholic | |
| hood$ | noun | state/condition of, a group sharing characteristics | child|childhood, neighbor|neighborhood, brother|brotherhood, adult|adulthood, false|falsehood | |
| ia$ | noun | abnormal state, a medical condition |
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| iable$ | adj | sociable | ||
| ial$ | adj |
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| ian$ | adj | From, related to, or like | mammal|mammalian | |
| ian$ | adj, noun | from, related to, or like |
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| ian$ | noun | one from, belonging to, relating to, or like | politics|politician, library|librarian, physic|physician, music|musician | |
| iant$ | adj |
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| iary$ | adj | tertiary | ||
| iasis$ | noun |
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| iate$ | verb | asphyxiate, deviate | ||
| ible$ | adj | capable, can do (same as -able) | incredible, terrible, visible | |
| ibly$ | adv | incredibly, responsibly, terribly | ||
| ic$ | noun | a thing |
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| ic$ | adj | pertaining to |
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| ical$ | adj |
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| ics$ | noun | the study of | Physics,Aerodynamics,Forensics, economics | |
| id$ | adj | (categorical) property (aspect) of | hominid, tepid, candid, fervid (compare -al) | |
| iency$ | noun | expedieny | ||
| ient$ | adj |
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| ier$ | noun | cashier, financier, gondolier | ||
| ify$, fy$ | verb | to become, make | argu|argufy, clear|clarify, ispec|specify, base|basify, vile|vilify | |
| ile$ | adj | being | senility|senile, tactility|tactile, facility|facile, volatility|volatile | |
| illion$ | noun | large numbers | million, billion | |
| ious$ | adj |
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| ing$ | noun | noun from verb, in the process of | doing, acting | |
| ing$ | noun | bedding, stuffing, roofing | ||
| ion$ | noun | an act of, a state of, the result of | act|action, companion | |
| ish$ | adj | adjective from noun; similar, sort of; approximately | girl|girlish, clear|clearish|foolish, slef|selfish, green|greenish, tall|tallish, fifty|fiftyish, ten|tennish | |
| ish$ | adj, noun | nationality, language | Spanish, Turkish, English | |
| ism$ | noun | doctrine, act, believe, practice, condition |
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| ist$ | noun | person, one who, |
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| ista$ | adept | fashionista | ||
| ite$ | noun | member of a group | socialite, Carmelite | |
| ite$ | adj | pertaining to | finity|finite | |
| itis$ | noun | disease, inflammation | bronchitic|bronchitis, hepatitic|hepatitis, gingivitis | |
| itive$ | adj | sensitive | ||
| itude$ | noun | attitude, gratitude, Beatitude | ||
| ity$ | noun | expressing state or condition, name of a quality |
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| ium$ | noun | metallic element (exception: helium) | sodium, Calcium | |
| ive$ | noun | an act of, a state of, the result of |
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| ive$ | adj | make the noun an adjective | cursiveness|cursive, defense|defensive, aggression|aggressive, passivity|passive | |
| ization$, isation$ | noun |
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| ize$, ise$ | verb | to cause, to be, to become, to make |
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| izzle$ | used for hip hop slang | Americizzle | ||
| kinesis$ | noun | movement (ability thereof) | telekinesis | |
| less$ | adj | lack of | seed|seedless, home|homeless, use|useless, care|careless, clue|clueless | |
| let$ | noun | diminutive, or denoting a relation to some part of the body | ringlet, hamlet, anklet | |
| like$ | adj | having the qualities of | childlike | |
| ling$ | noun | smaller, younger, cuter or weaker version of the noun root OR sharing an identity or quality of the noun root (e.g. as a follower) | darling, duckling, earthling, sapling | |
| ly$ | adj | -like, having the attributes of | brother|brotherly, state|stately, month|monthly | |
| ly$ | adv | -like, having the attributes of |
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| man$ | noun | person | fireman, statesman | |
| mancy$ | noun | divination by | crystallomancy, bibliomancy, necromancy | |
| mania$ | noun | an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action | kleptomania, megalomania, mythomania | |
| ment$ | noun | a substance, abstract noun |
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| meter$ | noun | measuring device |
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| metry$ | noun | measure | symmetry, geometry, isometry | |
| mony$ | noun | testimony, ceremony | ||
| morphism$ | noun | form | isomorphism, homomorphism | |
| most$ | adj | utmost, innermost | ||
| ness$ | noun | abstract noun |
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| nik$ | noun | Slavic origin; corresponds to "-er" | otkaznik, beatnik | |
| ocracy$ | noun | system of government | kakistocracy, democracy, androcracy | |
| ogram$ | noun | writing, description | ideogram | |
| ography$ | noun | study of | stenography, geography, photography | |
| oid$ | adj | resembling | android, solenoid, hominoid | |
| oid$ | noun | resembling | planetoid | |
| ologist$ | noun | one who studies a scientific subject | archaeologist | |
| ology$ | study, science | biology, psychology, planetology | ||
| oma$ | noun | a tumor, a growth | fiber|fibroma | |
| ome$ | noun | subject of an "-omics" | genome | |
| omics$ | noun | study of rules | proteomics, economics | |
| onomy$ | noun | knowledge of | astronomy | |
| onym$ | noun | name, word | antonym, consonym, heteronym | |
| opsy$ | noun | examination | autopsy, biopsy | |
| or$ | noun | one who, person (see er$) |
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| or$, -our$ | noun | candor, fervour, color | ||
| ory$ | adj | pertaining to, verb + ing (see ary$) | auditor|auditory, sensor|sensory | |
| ory$ | noun | a place where | dormitory, historic|history, repositor|repository | |
| ose$ | adj | full of, like, given to; carbohydrates, protein derivatives | verbose; globose | |
| osis$ | noun | process, action, formation, diseased condition |
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| ous$ | adj | VERB + ing |
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| phagy$, phagia$ | noun | eating | monophagy | |
| philia$ | noun | attraction | hemophilia | |
| phobia$ | noun | fear | acrophobia, mysophobia | |
| phone$ | noun, adj | sound, audio; speaker of a language | telephone, homophone; Anglophone | |
| physeal$ | adj |
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| phyte$ | noun | plant, used in botany to create terms which categorise plants based on their life-history, growth-form or ecological preferences | therophyte, halophyte | |
| polis$ | noun | referring to city or big area | Metropolis, Indianapolis | |
| s$ | noun | a thing, a substance | patho|pathos | |
| science$ | noun | knowing | omniscience, prescience, conscience | |
| scope$ | noun | from Greek skopos, view; instrument for viewing and observing spaces | microscope, telescope, kaleidoscope, periscope | |
| script$ | noun | written | manuscript, transcript | |
| ship$ | noun | abstract noun, state of being | friendship, relationship, dictatorship | |
| sion$ | noun | noun that has been altered from a process |
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| sis$ | noun | an act of, a state of, the result of |
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| some$ | adj | tiresome, awesome, fulsome | ||
| stan$ | noun | land, country | Afghanistan | |
| ster$ | noun | person | youngster, gangster | |
| t$ | adj | burnt, spoilt | ||
| th$, eth$ | adj | ordinal number | tenth, millionth, twentieth | |
| th$ | noun | forming a noun | growth, health, depth, strength | |
| tion$ | noun | noun that has been altered from a process | evaporation, introduction | |
| tom$, tome$ | noun | part or segment | dermatome | |
| tropism$ | noun | to turn | phototropism | |
| ty$ | noun | certainty, loyalty | ||
| uary$ | noun | sanctuary, mortuary | ||
| ular$ | adj |
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| ulent$ | adj | turbulent, fraudulent | ||
| um$ | noun | a thing, a substance | album | |
| uous$ | adj | tempestuous, unctuous, sensuous | ||
| ure$ | noun | a thing, a substance, one that is related t | fail|failure, expose|exposure, natural|nature, temperature | |
| us$ | noun | inflammation | ulcus | |
| ville$ | noun | city, town from French | Nashville | |
| vore$, vorous$ | noun, adj | to devour | carnivore, herbivore | |
| ward$, wards$ | adj, adv | direction | southward, inward, upward | |
| ware$ | noun | software | hardware, software, freeware | |
| ways$ | adj | sideways, longways | ||
| wise$ | adj | direction | clockwise, lengthwise | |
| wright$ | noun | person who makes | playwright, wheelwright, shipwright | |
| y$ | adj | having the quality of, inclined to |
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| y$ | noun | an act of, a state of, the result of |
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| y$ | verb |
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