suffix

noun

suf·fix | \ ˈsə-fiks

Definition of suffix

(Entry 1 of 2)

: an affix occurring at the end of a word, base, or phrase — compare prefix

suffix

verb

suf·fix | \ ˈsə-fiks

, (ˌ)sə-ˈfiks\

suffixed; suffixing; suffixes

Definition of suffix (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to attach as a suffix

Other Words from suffix What are prefixes, suffixes, and combining forms? Example Sentences Learn More about suffix

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Other Words from suffix

Noun

suffixal \ ˈsə-fik-səl

, (ˌ)sə-ˈfik-səl \ adjective

Verb

suffixation \ ˌsə-fik-ˈsā-shən

\ noun

What are prefixes, suffixes, and combining forms?

Noun

Prefixes and suffixes are both kinds of affixes. That is, they are word parts that attach to the beginning or end of a word or word base (a word stripped down to its simplest form) to produce a related word or an inflectional form of a word. Examples are in- in informal and both re- and -ing in reporting.

A third kind of affix is called an infix. Infixes are inserted into a word or word base. English uses very few infixes, but a couple examples are the plural-making s in words like cupsful and passersby, and various swear words, like damn in informal constructions like guaran-damn-tee.

A combining form is a form of a word that only appears as part of another word. There are a number of kinds of combining forms, each classified by what kind of word results when the form is used. For example, -wise in clockwise is an adverb combining form; -like in birdlike is an adjective combining form; -graph in photograph is a noun combining form; and -lyze in electrolyze is a verb combining form.

Combining forms are similar to affixes but can have a bit more lexical substance to them. Unlike affixes, combining forms are substantial enough to form a word simply by connecting to an affix, such as when the combining form cephal- joins with the suffix -ic to form cephalic. A combining form can also differ from an affix in its being derived from an independent word. For example, para- is a combining form in the word paratrooper because in that word it represents the word parachute. Para- is a prefix, however, in the words paranormal and paramedic. A combining form can also be distinguished historically from an affix by the fact that it is borrowed from another language in which it is descriptively a word or a combining form, such as the French mal giving English the mal- in malfunction.

Examples of suffix in a Sentence

Noun

The adjective “smokeless” is formed by adding the suffix “-less” to the noun “smoke.” The adverb “sadly” is formed by adding the suffix “-ly” to the adjective “sad.”

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Obviously, in the years since, the benefits of using one's edu-suffix email address have since become apparent to nearly everyone who steps onto a campus. — Marci Robin, Allure, "Hero Cosmetics Is Giving Away Free Acne Patches to Students — Here’s How to Get Yours," 20 Aug. 2019 Now, however, there are good-better-best suffixes, too: the G1, G4, and G7 descriptors signal the various tiers of graphics performance, with both the G4 and G7 tiers falling under the Intel Iris Plus branding. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Intel launches 10th-gen 'Ice Lake' chips, pushing hard on graphics for notebook PCs," 1 Aug. 2019 There are many fans who believe a much simpler explanation for the mass misunderstanding: -stein is a much more common suffix in names than -stain, so people simply remembered the series having the more common spelling by mistake. — Noelle Devoe, Seventeen, "This Crazy Conspiracy Theory About "The Berenstein Bears" Will Blow Your Mind," 1 Nov. 2018 This phone also may come in various color options, sort of like the old iPhone 5C, and may inherit the C suffix to become the iPhone XC. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "What to Expect From Apple's 2018 iPhone Event," 5 Sep. 2018 Female religious scholars have added the feminine Arabic suffix, ah, to a host of once-male posts, including da’yiah (preacher), alimah (Islamic scholar) and muftiyah (legal expert). — The Economist, "Saudi women want more sway in religious affairs," 12 July 2018 But, Lynne Murphy points out, the –ize suffix was original in British and American spelling, and survives in both. — John E. Mcintyre, baltimoresun.com, "Our common language, up to a point," 8 Mar. 2018 On that date, new, descriptive suffixes ranging from .deals to .sucks—meant to make search easier—will be available for anyone to buy. — Chelsea Peng, Marie Claire, "Taylor Swift Reportedly Bought Domain Name TaylorSwift.porn So No One Else Can Have It," 23 Mar. 2015 The second, the Compound Remote Associate Task, asks for words that work as common prefixes or suffixes for unrelated terms. — The Economist, "Zapping the brain improves creativity," 14 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'suffix.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for suffix

Noun

borrowed from New Latin suffīxum, noun derivative from neuter of Latin suffīxus, past participle of suffīgere "to fasten from below, attach to the top of," from suf-, assimilated form of sub- sub- + fīgere "to drive in, insert, fasten" — more at fix entry 1

Verb

derivative of suffix entry 1

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More Definitions for suffix

suffix

noun

English Language Learners Definition of suffix

: a letter or a group of letters that is added to the end of a word to change its meaning or to form a different word

See the full definition for suffix in the English Language Learners Dictionary

suffix

noun

suf·fix | \ ˈsə-ˌfiks

Kids Definition of suffix

: a letter or group of letters that comes at the end of a word and has a meaning of its own

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suffix

Definition of suffix

Other Words from suffix

What are prefixes, suffixes, and combining forms?

Examples of suffix in a Sentence

First Known Use of suffix

History and Etymology for suffix

English Language Learners Definition of suffix

Kids Definition of suffix

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