This section covers the most common Latin suffixes, while the section below provides a list of English suffixes which are derived from Latin suffixes.
The English suffix “-able” comes from the Latin suffix “-abilis”
| Latin | English |
|---|---|
| admirabilis | admirable |
| honorabilis | honorable |
| variabilis | variable |
| durabilis | durable |
| sociabilis | sociable |
| comparabilis | comparable |
| capabilis | capable |
| memorabilis | memorable |
The Latin suffix “-tas” corresponds to the English suffix “-ty”.
Some examples:
| Latin | English |
|---|---|
| possibilitas | possibility |
| immensitas | immensity |
| necessitas | necessity |
| conformitas | conformity |
| agilitas | agility |
| proximitas | proximity |
| claritas | clarity |
The Latin suffix “-tio” corresponds to the English suffix “-tion”.
Some examples:
| Latin | English |
|---|---|
| imaginatio | imagination |
| navigatio | navigation |
| competitio | competition |
| educatio | education |
| descriptio | description |
| satisfactio | satisfaction |
-ability is a suffix which is used to form a noun from a verb or an adjective. It comes from the Latin suffix « -abilis ». (meaning “able”). Here are some examples of words containing this suffix: ability, vulnerability, sustainability and suitability.
-able is another English suffix which is derived from the Latin suffix « -abilis ». This one is used to create adjectives. Here are some examples of words containing this suffix: available, acceptable, reliable and comfortable.
-ac is a suffix which means “affected with”. An example of a vocabulary word with this suffix is maniac.
-acity Here are some examples of words containing this suffix: capacity, opacity, audacity and tenacity.
-acy is derived from the Latin suffix « -ācia » which is a declined form of the Latin suffix « -āx ». Here are some examples of words containing this suffix: advocacy, accuracy and fallacy.
-ade Some examples of words containing this suffix are: arcade, decade, parade and promenade.
-age is derived from the Latin suffix « -āticum ». English vocabulary words containing this suffix include: patronage, homage, storage and package.
-al is derived from the Latin suffix « -ālis ». This suffix appears in English words such as: central, original, natural and global.
-ance English vocabulary words containing this suffix include: performance, finance, maintenance and compliance.
-ancy Some examples of words formed using this suffix are consultancy, vacancy, accountancy and expectancy.
-ane Here are some examples of words containing this suffix: propane, methane, octane and butane.
-aneous is derived from the Latin suffix « -āneus » which means “pertaining to”. Here are some examples of words containing this suffix: miscellaneous, simultaneous, spontaneous and instantaneous.
-ant comes from the Latin suffix « -āns ». Some examples of words formed using this suffix are participant, resistant, compliant, and servant.
-arch comes from the Latin suffix “-archēs” which is itself a borrowing from ancient Greek. Some examples of words containing this suffix are: monarch, patriarch and matriarch.
-arium means “a place associated with a specified thing” and it originates from the Latin suffix « -ārium ». This suffix is used in English words such as: aquarium, solarium, planetarium and terrarium.
-ary comes from the Latin adjective suffix « -aris ». Some examples of words formed using this suffix are primary, visionary, dietary and legendary.
-ate means “having the specified feature” and it originates from the Latin suffix « -ātus ». This suffix is used in English words such as: appreciate, activate and validate.
-atim An example of a vocabulary word with this suffix is verbatim.
-ation This suffix appears in English words such as: information, situation, combination and consultation.
-ator Some examples of words formed using this suffix are creator, illustrator, and terminator.
-cide comes from the Latin suffix “-cida”. Here are some examples of words containing this suffix: pesticide and herbicide.
-cy Some examples of words formed using this suffix are privacy, emergency, and accuracy.
-ence This suffix is used in English words such as: reference, difference, confidence and existence.
-ency is derived from the Latin suffix « -entia », and it is used to form abstract nouns. English vocabulary words containing this suffix include: emergency, deficiency, regency and constituency.
-ennial is derived from the Latin suffix « -ennialis », which originates from the Latin word « annus » meaning “year”. This suffix appears in English words such as: perennial, biennial, bicentennial and millennial.
-ent is derived from the Latin suffix « -ēns ». English vocabulary words containing this suffix include: different, student, excellent and talent.
-esce is derived from the Latin suffix « -ēscō » meaning “to become”. An example of an English vocabulary word with this suffix is coalesce.
-escence Some examples of words formed using this suffix are fluorescence and luminescence.
-escent Some examples of words formed using this suffix are iridescent and luminescent.
-esque means “in the style of” and it originates from the Latin suffix « -iscus ». This suffix is used in English words such as: picturesque and romanesque.
-ette comes from the Latin suffix “-itta” which which is the feminine form of “-ittus”, a diminutive suffix. This suffix is used in English words such as: roulette, cigarette, corvette and palette.
-ferous This suffix is used in English words such as: coniferous, carboniferous and vociferous.
-graphy comes from the Latin suffix “-graphia” which is itself a borrowing from ancient Greek. Some examples of words containing this suffix are: photography, filmography, discography and cryptography.
-ial is an English suffix which produces adjectives from nouns. Its origin is the Latin suffix « -ālis ». This suffix is used in English words such as: financial, commercial, potential and editorial.
-ian This suffix appears in English words such as: civilian, musician, and arcadian.
-ible is the English version of the Latin suffix « -ibilis », which means “able” or “worthy of”. Here are some examples of English vocabulary words containing this suffix: flexible, convertible, collectible and admissible.
-ic comes from the Latin suffix « -icus » which means “belonging to” or “pertaining to”. Some examples of words containing this suffix are: pedantic, angelic, classic and generic.
-ical is the English version of the Latin suffix « -icus », which means “belonging to” or “derived from”. Some examples of English words formed using this suffix are classical, typical, biological and alphabetical.
-ific comes from the Latin suffix « -ficus » which is derived from the latin verb « facere » meaning “to make”. Here are some examples of words containing this suffix: prolific, specific, and honorific.
-ification is the English version of the Latin suffix « -ficātiō », which means “process of”. English vocabulary words containing this suffix include: classification, qualification, diversification and unification.
-ify is the English version of the Latin suffix « -ficus ». This suffix appears in English verbs such as: justify, clarify, indemnify and intensify.
-ile comes from the Latin suffix « -īlis ». English vocabulary words containing this suffix include: percentile and mercantile.
-ion This suffix appears in English words such as: education, location, action and connection.
-ise This suffix appears in English words such as: advertise, merchandise, expertise and franchise.
-ist Here are some examples of words containing this suffix: communist, guitarist, pianist and psychiatrist.
-itude is an English suffix which means “in a state of”. Its origin is the Latin suffix « -tūdō ». English vocabulary words containing this suffix include: amplitude, multitude and solitude.
-ity is an English suffix which produces nouns from adjectives. Its origin is the Latin suffix « -itās ». Some examples of words containing this suffix are: community, security, activity and opportunity.
-ium Here are some examples of words containing this suffix: calcium, millennium, sodium and titanium.
-ive is derived from the Latin adjective suffix « -īvus ». Some examples of words formed using this suffix are active, creative, respective and expensive.
-logy comes from the Latin suffix « -logia » which itself originates from Ancient Greek. This suffix refers to an academic discipline or a branch of knowledge, and it appears in many English words such as: technology, psychology, biology and ecology.
-metric English vocabulary words containing this suffix include: metric, biometric, econometric and volumetric.
-mony Here are some examples of words containing this suffix: matrimony and patrimony.
-or Here are some examples of words containing this suffix: error, operator, investor and calculator.
-ory comes from the Latin suffix « -tōrius » and is used to form adjectives. This suffix is used in English words such as: advisory, statutory, sensory and supervisory.
-ose is a suffix with two different etymologies and meanings. The first one is from the Latin suffix « -ōsus » which means “prone to” or “full of”. The second etymology refers to the word “glucose” and is used to form the names of sugars. Some examples of words containing this suffix are: glucose, verbose, cellulose and lactose.
-osity Here are some examples of words containing this suffix: curiosity, generosity, viscosity and luminosity.
-otic Here are some examples of words containing this suffix: chaotic, psychotic, neurotic and biotic.
-ous Here are some examples of words containing this suffix: dangerous, indigenous, curious and enormous.
-plex is a Latin-derived suffix meaning “with a number of parts”. English vocabulary words containing this suffix include: complex, duplex, multiplex.
-sion Some examples of words containing this suffix are: introversion, expansion and reversion.
-spect is a suffix which is derived from the Latin word « specio », which means “to look at” or “to observe”. English vocabulary words containing this suffix include: prospect, inspect and retrospect.
-tion is a suffix used to form nouns which refer to the action of a verb. It originates from the Latin suffix « -tiō ». Some examples of words formed using this suffix are association, omission, attribution, and invention.
-tort is a suffix meaning “forcing a change of shape”, which comes from the Latin word « tortum ». This suffix is used in English words such as distort and extort.
-ual is an English suffix which originates from the Latin ending « -uālis » found in adjectives. Here are some examples of words containing this suffix: habitual, eventual, contextual and contactual.
-ure originates from the Latin suffix « -tūra » which is used to form nouns which express the results of actions. Some examples of words containing this suffix are: exposure, pleasure, expenditure and composure.
-uria This suffix comes from the Latin word “urina” which means “urine”.
-vore This suffix comes from the Latin verb “voro” which means “to devour”. An example of a vocabulary word with this suffix is herbivore.
-vorous This suffix has the Latin origin as the suffix “-vore”. The difference is that this one is used to form adjectives while the other one forms nouns.
To practice spotting Latin suffixes, have a look at this list of the 1000 most common Latin vocabulary words.
We have also published a guide to Latin prefixes.