"-ance" meaning in English

See -ance in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Suffix

IPA: /-əns/ Forms: -ances [plural], -ence [alternative], ⠨⠑ [alternative]
Etymology: From Middle English -aunce, -ance, from Anglo-Norman -aunce and continental Old French -ance, from Latin -antia, -entia. Etymology templates: {{etymon|en|:inh|enm:-aunce}}, {{inh|en|enm|-aunce}} Middle English -aunce, {{der|en|xno|-aunce}} Anglo-Norman -aunce, {{der|en|fro|-ance}} Old French -ance, {{der|en|la|-antia}} Latin -antia Head templates: {{en-noun|~}} -ance (noun-forming suffix, countable and uncountable, plural -ances)
  1. Added to an adjective or verb to form a noun indicating a state or condition, such as result or capacity, associated with the verb. Tags: countable, morpheme, uncountable Translations (a state): -ança [feminine] (Catalan), -ance (French), -ance (Friulian), -ság (Hungarian), -ség (Hungarian), -at (Hungarian), -et (Hungarian), -alom (Hungarian), -elem (Hungarian), -anza [feminine] (Italian), -aunce (Middle English), -ing (Middle English), -ance (Old French), -ança [feminine] (Portuguese), -anță [feminine] (Romanian), -ение (-enije) [neuter] (Russian), -anza (Spanish), -ancia [feminine] (Spanish), -ans [common-gender] (Swedish), -ansa [feminine] (Venetan)
    Sense id: en--ance-en-suffix-m58P2wtH Categories (other): English links with redundant target parameters, English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages using catfix, Pages using etymon with no ID, Pages with 7 entries, Pages with entries, Terms with Catalan translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with Friulian translations, Terms with Hungarian translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Middle English translations, Terms with Old French translations, Terms with Portuguese translations, Terms with Romanian translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Swedish translations, Terms with Venetan translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 50 50 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 57 43 Disambiguation of Pages using catfix: 57 43 Disambiguation of Pages using etymon with no ID: 57 43 Disambiguation of Pages with 7 entries: 57 43 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 53 47 Disambiguation of Terms with Catalan translations: 65 35 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 64 36 Disambiguation of Terms with Friulian translations: 65 35 Disambiguation of Terms with Hungarian translations: 65 35 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 65 35 Disambiguation of Terms with Middle English translations: 62 38 Disambiguation of Terms with Old French translations: 64 36 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 67 33 Disambiguation of Terms with Romanian translations: 65 35 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 65 35 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 63 37 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 65 35 Disambiguation of Terms with Venetan translations: 63 37 Disambiguation of 'a state': 100 0
  2. Added to a verb to form a noun indicating a process or action. Tags: countable, morpheme, uncountable
    Sense id: en--ance-en-suffix-yO~XKUy4 Categories (other): English links with redundant target parameters, English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 50 50 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 53 47
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Related terms: -ency

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-aunce"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "etymon"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-aunce"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -aunce",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "-aunce"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman -aunce",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "-ance"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French -ance",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "-antia"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin -antia",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English -aunce, -ance, from Anglo-Norman -aunce and continental Old French -ance, from Latin -antia, -entia.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "-ances",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "-ence",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "⠨⠑",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "-ance (noun-forming suffix, countable and uncountable, plural -ances)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "suffix",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "-ency"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English links with redundant target parameters",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "57 43",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "57 43",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages using catfix",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "57 43",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages using etymon with no ID",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "57 43",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 7 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "53 47",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "65 35",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Catalan translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "64 36",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "65 35",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Friulian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "65 35",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "65 35",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "62 38",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Middle English translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "64 36",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Old French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "67 33",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "65 35",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Romanian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "65 35",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "63 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "65 35",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "63 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Venetan translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "ally + -ance → alliance",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "perform + -ance → performance",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "reluct + -ance → reluctance",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Added to an adjective or verb to form a noun indicating a state or condition, such as result or capacity, associated with the verb."
      ],
      "id": "en--ance-en-suffix-m58P2wtH",
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "morpheme",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "lang_code": "ca",
          "sense": "a state",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "-ança"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "lang_code": "fr",
          "sense": "a state",
          "word": "-ance"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "fro",
          "lang": "Old French",
          "lang_code": "fro",
          "sense": "a state",
          "word": "-ance"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "fur",
          "lang": "Friulian",
          "lang_code": "fur",
          "sense": "a state",
          "word": "-ance"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "lang_code": "hu",
          "sense": "a state",
          "word": "-ság"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "lang_code": "hu",
          "sense": "a state",
          "word": "-ség"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "lang_code": "hu",
          "sense": "a state",
          "word": "-at"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "lang_code": "hu",
          "sense": "a state",
          "word": "-et"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "lang_code": "hu",
          "sense": "a state",
          "word": "-alom"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "lang_code": "hu",
          "sense": "a state",
          "word": "-elem"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "lang_code": "it",
          "sense": "a state",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "-anza"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "enm",
          "lang": "Middle English",
          "lang_code": "enm",
          "sense": "a state",
          "word": "-aunce"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "enm",
          "lang": "Middle English",
          "lang_code": "enm",
          "sense": "a state",
          "word": "-ing"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "lang_code": "pt",
          "sense": "a state",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "-ança"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "lang_code": "ro",
          "sense": "a state",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "-anță"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "-enije",
          "sense": "a state",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "-ение"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "a state",
          "word": "-anza"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "a state",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "-ancia"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "lang_code": "sv",
          "sense": "a state",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "-ans"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "vec",
          "lang": "Venetan",
          "lang_code": "vec",
          "sense": "a state",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "-ansa"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English links with redundant target parameters",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "53 47",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "appear + -ance → appearance",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "resist + -ance → resistance",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Added to a verb to form a noun indicating a process or action."
      ],
      "id": "en--ance-en-suffix-yO~XKUy4",
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "morpheme",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/-əns/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "-ance"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English noun-forming suffixes",
    "English productive suffixes",
    "English suffixes",
    "English terms derived from Anglo-Norman",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms derived from Old French",
    "English terms derived from Old Latin",
    "English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
    "English terms derived from Proto-Italic",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages using catfix",
    "Pages using etymon with no ID",
    "Pages with 7 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Catalan translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with Friulian translations",
    "Terms with Hungarian translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Middle English translations",
    "Terms with Old French translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Romanian translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations",
    "Terms with Venetan translations"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-aunce"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "etymon"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-aunce"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -aunce",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "-aunce"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman -aunce",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "-ance"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French -ance",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "-antia"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin -antia",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English -aunce, -ance, from Anglo-Norman -aunce and continental Old French -ance, from Latin -antia, -entia.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "-ances",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "-ence",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "⠨⠑",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "-ance (noun-forming suffix, countable and uncountable, plural -ances)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "suffix",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "-ency"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English links with redundant target parameters"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "ally + -ance → alliance",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "perform + -ance → performance",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "reluct + -ance → reluctance",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Added to an adjective or verb to form a noun indicating a state or condition, such as result or capacity, associated with the verb."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "morpheme",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English links with redundant target parameters"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "appear + -ance → appearance",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "resist + -ance → resistance",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Added to a verb to form a noun indicating a process or action."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "morpheme",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/-əns/"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "lang_code": "ca",
      "sense": "a state",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "-ança"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "sense": "a state",
      "word": "-ance"
    },
    {
      "code": "fro",
      "lang": "Old French",
      "lang_code": "fro",
      "sense": "a state",
      "word": "-ance"
    },
    {
      "code": "fur",
      "lang": "Friulian",
      "lang_code": "fur",
      "sense": "a state",
      "word": "-ance"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "lang_code": "hu",
      "sense": "a state",
      "word": "-ság"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "lang_code": "hu",
      "sense": "a state",
      "word": "-ség"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "lang_code": "hu",
      "sense": "a state",
      "word": "-at"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "lang_code": "hu",
      "sense": "a state",
      "word": "-et"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "lang_code": "hu",
      "sense": "a state",
      "word": "-alom"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "lang_code": "hu",
      "sense": "a state",
      "word": "-elem"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "lang_code": "it",
      "sense": "a state",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "-anza"
    },
    {
      "code": "enm",
      "lang": "Middle English",
      "lang_code": "enm",
      "sense": "a state",
      "word": "-aunce"
    },
    {
      "code": "enm",
      "lang": "Middle English",
      "lang_code": "enm",
      "sense": "a state",
      "word": "-ing"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "sense": "a state",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "-ança"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "lang_code": "ro",
      "sense": "a state",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "-anță"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "-enije",
      "sense": "a state",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "-ение"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "a state",
      "word": "-anza"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "a state",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "-ancia"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "a state",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "-ans"
    },
    {
      "code": "vec",
      "lang": "Venetan",
      "lang_code": "vec",
      "sense": "a state",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "-ansa"
    }
  ],
  "word": "-ance"
}

Download raw JSONL data for -ance meaning in English (5.0kB)

{
  "called_from": "form_descriptions/1698",
  "msg": "unrecognized head form: noun-forming suffix",
  "path": [
    "-ance"
  ],
  "section": "English",
  "subsection": "suffix",
  "title": "-ance",
  "trace": ""
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-03-25 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-03-03 using wiktextract (05c257f and 9d9a410). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.