forms the feminine of nouns referring to people
köken: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂ Proto-Italic *-ā Latin -am Old French -e French -e Inherited from Old French -e, from Latin -am, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂.
🔊 garçon + -e → garçonne
Noun-forming suffix used to form diminutives of proper names; used after a hard (unpalatalized) consonant.
eş: -я, -я
köken: From early Proto-Slavic *-ja.
🔊 по- (po-) + клад- (klad-, “to lay, to put”) + -а (-a) → покла́жа (pokláža, “load”)
🔊 пропа́д- (propád-, “to disappear”) + -а (-a) → пропа́жа (propáža, “disappearance, loss”)
🔊 пред- (pred-, “before”) + тек- (tek-, “to flow”) + -а (-a) → предте́ча (predtéča, “forerunner, precursor”)
creates the female form of some persons or occupations, as English -ess
köken: From Middle Dutch -esse, borrowed from Old Northern French -esse, from Late Latin -issa (as in abbātissa (“abbess”)).
🔊 secretaris (“secretary, receptionist”) – secretaresse (“female secretary, female receptionist”)
feminine singular of -o: forms feminine singular nouns and adjectives
köken: Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese -a, from Latin -am, from Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂, from *-h₂.
🔊 uruguaio (“Uruguayan (masculine)”) + -a → uruguaia (“Uruguayan (feminine)”)
feminises masculine nouns ending in -ας, -ης, -ος, etc.
köken: From Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa).
🔊 βασιλιάς m (vasiliás, “king”) + -ισσα (-issa) → βασίλισσα f (vasílissa, “queen”)
🔊 μάγειρας m (mágeiras, “cook”) + -ισσα (-issa) → μαγείρισσα f (mageírissa, “cook”)
-ess; makes a female version of a title, often referring to the bearer's wife
köken: From Old Swedish -inna, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *-inī.
feminine noun suffix · diminutive noun suffix
köken: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *-keh₂der. Proto-Balto-Slavic *-kāˀ Proto-Slavic *-ъka Old Polish -ka Polish -ka Inherited from Old Polish -ka.
🔊 Azjata + -ka → Azjatka
🔊 część + -ka → cząstka
Used to form female equivalents. · The wife of.
köken: Calque of English -ess with -а (-a), in turn from Middle English -esse, borrowed from Old French -esse, from Late Latin -issa, from Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa).
🔊 поет (poet) + -еса (-esa) → поетеса (poetesa)
🔊 барон (baron) + -еса (-esa) → баронеса (baronesa, “baroness”)
-ess; forms female-counterpart nouns
köken: Inherited from Prakrit -𑀇𑀡𑀻 (-iṇī), from Sanskrit -इनी (-inī). Doublet of -इनी (-inī).
🔊 कह (kah, “to say”) + -नी (-nī) → कहनी (kahanī, “saying, utterance”)
Forms the female counterpart of nouns indicating a person.
köken: Clipped from tytär (“daughter”) and then adapted to vowel harmony.
🔊 kuningas (“king”) + -tar → kuningatar (“queen”)
🔊 näyttelijä (“actor”) + -tar → näyttelijätär (“actress”)
🔊 Saksa (“Germany”) + -tar → saksatar (“a German female”)
Used to make feminine forms of some masculine nouns, or to indicate the wife of a man with a certain profession; -ess
köken: Inherited from Late Latin -issa, from Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa). Cf. also the doublet -esă, a neologism borrowed from French.
aile: cărturăreasă, măcelăreasă, negustoreasă, perucăreasă, rotăreasă
to, toward, in the direction of, -ward · at, located in the direction of
köken: From Proto-West Semitic *-ah, from Proto-Semitic *-iš (locative or terminative).
🔊 וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַבָּאִים מִצְרָיְמָה, אֵת יַעֲקֹב אִישׁ וּבֵיתוֹ בָּאוּ:
Used to form feminine forms of masculine nouns.
köken: Etymology tree Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa)bor. Latin -issa Borrowed from Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa).
aile: archimandritissa, sacerdōtissa
creates the female form of persons or occupations
köken: From Middle Low German -inne, -in.
female suffix
köken: From Middle Welsh -es, from Proto-Brythonic *-es, from Latin -issa, whence also English -ess. Cognate with Cornish -es.
🔊 athro (“male teacher”) + -es → athrawes (“female teacher”)
🔊 gweinydd (“waiter”) + -es → gweinyddes (“waitress”)
🔊 Norwy (“Norway”) + -es → Norwyes (“Norwegian woman”)
A prefix appended to words to make a female form, similar to -ette or -ess in English
köken: PIE word *gʷḗn From Old Irish ban-, from Proto-Celtic *bano-, from the zero grade of Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn.
🔊 ban- + ab (“abbot”) → ban-ab (“abbess”)
🔊 ban- + draíodóir (“magician”) → bandraíodóir (“enchantress”)
🔊 ban- + stiúrthóir (“director; conductor”) → banstiúrthóir (“directress, directrix; conductress”)
forms female equivalents to male nouns. -ess
köken: From Late Latin -issa. Compare Romanian -easă, Italian -essa.
🔊 lúan (“lion”) + -eshë → luanéshë (“lioness”)
🔊 múrg (“monk”) + -eshë → murgéshë (“nun”)
🔊 búrrë (“man”) + -eshë → burrnéshë (“sworn virgin”)
feminine suffix
köken: For: * Sanskritic borrowings and formations, from Sanskrit -आ (-ā), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *-aH, from Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂. * Arabic and Persian borrowings, from Arabic ـَة (-a) (and some via Classical Persian ـه (-a)), from Proto-Semitic *-at, from Proto-Afroasiatic *-Vt.
🔊 অনাঘ্রাত (onaghrat) + -আ (-a) → অনাঘ্রাতা (onaghrata)
of feminine sex
köken: Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *-inī Proto-West Germanic *-ini Old High German -in Middle High German -in German -inder. Esperanto -ino From German -in.
🔊 bovo (“head of cattle, bull”) + -ino → bovino (“cow”)
🔊 ĉevalo (“horse, stallion”) + -ino → ĉevalino (“mare”)
🔊 filo (“son”) + -ino → filino (“daughter”)
alternative spelling of -ኢት (-it) (Forms female equivalents to (defaultly male) people or occupations.)
köken: Inherited from Proto-Semitic *-at-. Cognate with Hebrew ־ִית f (-ít).
🔊 ተዋናይ (täwanay, “actor”) + -ት (-t) → ተዋናይት (täwanayt, “actress”).
🔊 ንጉሥ (nəguś, “king”) + -ት (-t) → ንግሥት (nəgśət, “queen”).
-ess; suffix forming the feminine of a noun
köken: From Proto-Brythonic *-es, from Late Latin -issa. Cognate with Cornish and Welsh -es.
🔊 kazh (“tomcat”) + -ez → kazhez (“female cat”)