-able

Inherited from Middle French -able, from Old French -able, from Latin -ābilis.


-tion

fr-noun

-tion f (countable and uncountable, plural -tions)

→ Norwegian: -sjon

desc

→ Ottoman Turkish: ـسیون (-syon, -siyon)

Turkish: -syon, -siyon

Borrowed as a learned form from Latin suffix Latin -tiōne or -tiōnem, ending of the singular ablative or accusative of those nouns ending with -tiō (part of the Latin third declension). The original inherited form of the suffix, -on/-son (or -aison from -ātionem), is today less common but can be found in words such as raison, saison, chanson, venaison, oraison, garnison, etc.

Used to indicate action, condition, result or effect; -tion


-ie

Borrowed from Latin -ia, a suffix used to create abstract nouns, and from Ancient Greek -ία (-ía), -εια (-eia).

indicates a feminine noun, often an abstract one


-illion

Back-formation from million, ultimately from Italian mille (“thousand”) and the augmentative suffix -one. -illion was segmented from million as if mi- was a prefix, and -illion the stem.


-é

fr-adj

-é (feminine -ée, masculine plural -és, feminine plural -ées)

-ée (feminine)
-és (masculine plural)
-ées (feminine plural)

Inherited from Middle French -é, from Old French -é, -et, -at, from Latin -ātus, from Proto-Italic *-ātos. Compare the borrowed doublet -at.

(grammar) past participle root verb suffix of regular -er verbs, an inflected infinitive verb; -ed, -en, -n


-é

Euphonic alteration of -e in presubject position.

presubject first-person singular present indicative

presubject first-person singular present subjunctive

pensé-je


-gate

Borrowed from English -gate, from Watergate.

C’est un quasi «currygate» qu’a provoqué Kim en confessant son dégoût de la nourriture indienne.

Kim Kardashian triggered a virtual ‘currygate’ by confessing her dislike of Indian food.


-er

-er (infinitive)
avoir + past participle (infinitive multiword-construction)
-ant (gerund participle present)
ayant + past participle (gerund multiword-construction participle present)
-é (participle past)
-e (first-person indicative present singular)
-es (indicative present second-person singular)
-e (indicative present singular third-person)
-ons (first-person indicative plural present)
-ez (indicative plural present second-person)
-ent (indicative plural present third-person)
-ais (first-person imperfect indicative singular)
-ais (imperfect indicative second-person singular)
-ait (imperfect indicative singular third-person)
-ions (first-person imperfect indicative plural)
-iez (imperfect indicative plural second-person)
-aient (imperfect indicative plural third-person)
-ai (first-person historic indicative past singular)
-as (historic indicative past second-person singular)
-a (historic indicative past singular third-person)
-âmes (first-person historic indicative past plural)
-âtes (historic indicative past plural second-person)
-èrent (historic indicative past plural third-person)
-erai (first-person future indicative singular)
-eras (future indicative second-person singular)
-era (future indicative singular third-person)
-erons (first-person future indicative plural)
-erez (future indicative plural second-person)
-eront (future indicative plural third-person)
-erais (conditional first-person singular)
-erais (conditional second-person singular)
-erait (conditional singular third-person)
-erions (conditional first-person plural)
-eriez (conditional plural second-person)
-eraient (conditional plural third-person)
future of avoir + past participle (future indicative multiword-construction perfect)
conditional of avoir + past participle (conditional multiword-construction perfect)
-e (first-person present singular subjunctive)
-es (present second-person singular subjunctive)
-e (present singular subjunctive third-person)
-ions (first-person plural present subjunctive)
-iez (plural present second-person subjunctive)
-ent (plural present subjunctive third-person)
-asse (first-person imperfect singular subjunctive)
-asses (imperfect second-person singular subjunctive)
-ât (imperfect singular subjunctive third-person)
-assions (first-person imperfect plural subjunctive)
-assiez (imperfect plural second-person subjunctive)
-assent (imperfect plural subjunctive third-person)
-e (imperative second-person singular)
-ons (first-person imperative plural)
-ez (imperative plural second-person)

forms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs


-er

forms nouns indicating the person who exercises a particular activity


-ade

From Occitan -ada, from Latin -ata. Doublet of -ée.

peuple + -ade → peuplade

griller + -ade → grillade

orange + -ade → orangeade

Indicating a drink made from a given fruit.

débander + -ade → débandade

noyer + -ade → noyade

Used to form nouns denoting action, or a person performing said action.


-ible

Inherited from Old French -ible, from Latin -ibilis.


-al

-al (feminine -ale, masculine plural -aux, feminine plural -ales)

-ale (feminine)
-aux (masculine plural)
-ales (feminine plural)

Norwegian Bokmål: -al

→ Turkish: -sal (learned)

Inherited from Middle French -al, from Old French -al, borrowed from Latin -ālis. Doublet of -el, which is inherited.

-al; appended to various words, often nouns, to make an adjective form; often added to words of Latin origin, but used with other words also


-u

barbe (“beard”) + -u → barbu (“bearded”)

ventre (“belly”) + -u → ventru (“pot-bellied, rounded”)

Forming adjectives having the sense of ‘having quality of, being provided with’ (the root word).


-ose

Borrowed via Latin from Ancient Greek -ωσις (-ōsis, “state, abnormal condition, or action”), from -όω (-óō) stem verbs + -σις (-sis).

der

(pathology) -osis, a functional disease or condition


-ose

Borrowed from Latin -osus; doublet of the inherited -eux.

(chemistry) -ose, a saccharide (simple sugar)


-a

From Latin -āt, short counterpart to -āvit.

third-person singular
third-person singular#English

forms the third-person singular past historic of -er verbs


-in

fr-adj

-in (feminine -ine, masculine plural -ins, feminine plural -ines)

-ine (feminine)
-ins (masculine plural)
-ines (feminine plural)

Inherited from Latin -īnus, from Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos.

enfant (“child”) + -in → enfantin (“childish”)

forms adjectives indicating a quality; -ish, -ic


-in

plaisant (“pleasant”) + -in → plaisantin (“joker, wiseass”)

ours (“bear”) + -in → oursin (“urchin”)

crotte (“animal dropping”) + -in → crottin (“manure”)

forms nouns with a diminutive or pejorative quality


-on

→ English: -oon

Inherited from Old French -on, a blending of Latin -ōnem (accusative singular of -ō, masculine appellative suffix), Frankish *-on (accusative of *-ō, ending of masculine weak declension nouns), Frankish *-in (diminutive suffix), and *-ing (diminutive suffix for animals, via -enc, -enz). Some also descend from the Celtic singulative *-onos, such as mouton.

chat (“cat”) + -on → chaton (“kitten”)

ours (“bear”) + -on → ourson (“cub”)

Forming diminutives of things, including some animals.

médaille (“medal”) + -on → médaillon (“medallion”)

marmite (“cooking pot”) + -on → marmiton (“pot and pan washer; kitchen porter”)

quartier (“quarter”) + -on → quarteron (“quarter of a pound”)

char (“carriage”) + -on → charron (“wheelwright”)

bûche (“log”) + -on → bûcheron (“lumberjack”)


-on

Borrowed from Ancient Greek -ον (-on), neuter of -ος (-os), masculine adjective ending.


-s

Inherited from Middle French -s, from Old French -s, from Latin -os, -es (accusative plural).

homme + -s → hommes

bon + -s → bons

Used to form the regular plurals of most nouns and adjectives.

landau + -s → landaus

bleu + -s → bleus

carnaval + -s → carnavals

Used to form the irregular plurals of a few nouns and adjectives in -au, -eu (which regularly add -x) and in -al (which regularly make -aux).


-s

Inherited from Middle French -s, from Old French -s, from Latin -es, -is (second-person singular).
The spread of this suffix to the first-person singular started out from Old French verbs whose stems happened to end in a sibilant, most notably the regular conjugation in -ir, e.g., je fenis, tu fenis (from Vulgar Latin fin-isc-o, fin-isc-is). In later Old French, final /s/ was only pronounced in liaison and in pausa. This weakened the distinction in those verbs which had originally had -s in the second-person only, but by analogy now began to take it in the first-person as well. The grammarians later on standardised the usage, prescribing -s in some cases and rejecting it in others.

Used to form the second-person singular of most verb conjugations.

Used to form the first-person singular of some verb conjugations.


-o

Analogically extended from various clippings with etymological o, such as vélo, resto < vélocipède, restaurant. Its pronunciation perhaps had input from -aud.


unième

vingt et unième

-first (ordinal form of un used in compounds)


-gramme

Borrowed from Ancient Greek γράμμα (grámma).


-cide

Inherited from Middle French -cide, from Latin -cīdium.


-cide

Inherited from Middle French -cide, from Latin -cīda.


-os

(slang) Slang ending of nouns, adjectives and adverbs (without changing the meaning)


-is

Inherited from Latin -iō → *-īō, -is → *-īs (sense 1–2); Latin -īvī, and -īvisti (sense 3–4). In the case of regular -ir verbs (like finir), the first singular present suffix was inherited from Old French -is, from Vulgar Latin *-īscō (cf. -iss-), while other first singular suffixes (also when added to irregular -ir verbs) are added erroneously.

first-person singular
first-person singular#English

forms the first-person singular present indicative of -ir verbs

second-person singular
second-person singular#English

forms the second-person singular present indicative of -ir verbs

forms the first-person singular past historic of -ir verbs

forms the second-person singular past historic of -ir verbs


-is

forms the first-person singular past historic of -re verbs

forms the second-person singular past historic of -re verbs


-is

Inherited from Old French -ëiz, from Latin -ātus (past participle ending) + -īcius (adjective-forming suffix).

adjective- or noun-forming suffix, generally found attached to verbs


-ier

Inherited from Middle French -ier, -er, from Old French -ier, -er, from Latin -ārium, the accusative of -ārius. Compare the borrowed doublet -aire.

banane (“banana”) + -ier → bananier (“banana tree”)

poire (“pear”) + -ier → poirier (“pear tree”)

forms the names of trees or bushes bearing a particular type of fruit

chalut (“trawl net”) + -ier → chalutier (“trawler”)

pétrole (“oil”) + -ier → pétrolier (“oil tanker”)

chocolat (“chocolate”) + -ier → chocolatier (“chocolatier”)


-erie

From Old French -erie. By surface analysis, -ier + -ie.

bijou (“jewel”) + -erie → bijouterie (“jeweler's”)

denotes a shop selling a certain product

huile (“oil”) + -erie → huilerie (“oil refinery”)

denotes an organization specializing in a given field

souffler (“to blow”) + -erie → soufflerie (“blower”)

denotes an object used to perform an action

tricher (“to cheat”) + -erie → tricherie (“cheating”)

denotes nouns describing qualities or properties


-re

-re (infinitive)
avoir + past participle (infinitive multiword-construction)
-ant (gerund participle present)
ayant + past participle (gerund multiword-construction participle present)
-u (participle past)
-s (first-person indicative present singular)
-s (indicative present second-person singular)
-ons (first-person indicative plural present)
-ez (indicative plural present second-person)
-ent (indicative plural present third-person)
-ais (first-person imperfect indicative singular)
-ais (imperfect indicative second-person singular)
-ait (imperfect indicative singular third-person)
-ions (first-person imperfect indicative plural)
-iez (imperfect indicative plural second-person)
-aient (imperfect indicative plural third-person)
-is (first-person historic indicative past singular)
-is (historic indicative past second-person singular)
-it (historic indicative past singular third-person)
-îmes (first-person historic indicative past plural)
-îtes (historic indicative past plural second-person)
-irent (historic indicative past plural third-person)
-rai (first-person future indicative singular)
-ras (future indicative second-person singular)
-ra (future indicative singular third-person)
-rons (first-person future indicative plural)
-rez (future indicative plural second-person)
-ront (future indicative plural third-person)
-rais (conditional first-person singular)
-rais (conditional second-person singular)
-rait (conditional singular third-person)
-rions (conditional first-person plural)
-riez (conditional plural second-person)
-raient (conditional plural third-person)
future of avoir + past participle (future indicative multiword-construction perfect)
conditional of avoir + past participle (conditional multiword-construction perfect)
-e (first-person present singular subjunctive)
-es (present second-person singular subjunctive)
-e (present singular subjunctive third-person)
-ions (first-person plural present subjunctive)
-iez (plural present second-person subjunctive)
-ent (plural present subjunctive third-person)
-isse (first-person imperfect singular subjunctive)
-isses (imperfect second-person singular subjunctive)
-ît (imperfect singular subjunctive third-person)
-issions (first-person imperfect plural subjunctive)
-issiez (imperfect plural second-person subjunctive)
-issent (imperfect plural subjunctive third-person)
-s (imperative second-person singular)
-ons (first-person imperative plural)
-ez (imperative plural second-person)

Inherited from Latin -ere, third conjugation infinitive of -ō or -iō.

one of the three main verb endings, along with -er and -ir


-itude

From Middle French -itude, borrowed from Latin -(i)tūdō.


-muche

Ménilmuche

(slang, uncommon) Suffix added to the end of any word to make it more incomprehensible.


-scope

From Ancient Greek σκοπέω (skopéō, “examine, inspect, look to or into, consider”).


-phone

From Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound”).

forming adjectives: -phone (speaking a specific language)

forming nouns: -phone (speaker of a specific language)

forming nouns: -phone (something that makes a sound e.g. saxophone)


-ise

Inherited from Old French -ise, a suffix probably derived, by resegmentation, from justise (< Latin iūstitia), whose ending was influenced by the closely-related juïse (< Latin iūdĭcium), whose /i/, in turn, may be the result of influence from -īcius (adjective-forming suffix).

débrouillard + -ise → débrouillardise

franc + -ise → franchise

vantard + -ise → vantardise


-ique

Inherited from Old French -ique, borrowed from Latin -icum.

forms adjectives from nouns: -ic, -ical, -ish, -ly


-ique

Substantivised feminine of the adjective.

aéro- (“aero-”) + -naute (“-naut”) + -ique → aéronautique f (“aeronautics”)

forms nouns referring to fields of knowledge or practice: -ics


-ment

Inherited from Middle French -ment, from Old French -ment, from Latin mente.

franche + -ment → franchement

Attaches to an adjective in the feminine singular to form the corresponding adverb.


-ment

→ Norwegian Bokmål: -ment

Inherited from Middle French -ment, from Old French -ment, from Latin -mentum.

parer + -ment → parement

abandonner + -ment → abandonnement

manier + -ment → maniement

Forms nouns from verbs, usually indicating a resulting action or state.


-e

fort + -e → forte

garçon + -e → garçonne

forms the feminine of adjectives and nouns


-e

In the third person, from Latin -at; in the first person generally by analogy.

first-person singular present indicative

first-person singular present subjunctive

third-person singular present indicative

third-person singular present subjunctive


-e

second-person singular imperative of -er


-e

deuxième → 2ᵉ

abbreviation of -ième when an ordinal number is written with Arabic or Roman numerals


-ir

-ir (infinitive)
avoir + past participle (infinitive multiword-construction)
-issant (gerund participle present)
ayant + past participle (gerund multiword-construction participle present)
-i (participle past)
-is (first-person indicative present singular)
-is (indicative present second-person singular)
-it (indicative present singular third-person)
-issons (first-person indicative plural present)
-issez (indicative plural present second-person)
-issent (indicative plural present third-person)
-issais (first-person imperfect indicative singular)
-issais (imperfect indicative second-person singular)
-issait (imperfect indicative singular third-person)
-issions (first-person imperfect indicative plural)
-issiez (imperfect indicative plural second-person)
-issaient (imperfect indicative plural third-person)
-is (first-person historic indicative past singular)
-is (historic indicative past second-person singular)
-it (historic indicative past singular third-person)
-îmes (first-person historic indicative past plural)
-îtes (historic indicative past plural second-person)
-irent (historic indicative past plural third-person)
-irai (first-person future indicative singular)
-iras (future indicative second-person singular)
-ira (future indicative singular third-person)
-irons (first-person future indicative plural)
-irez (future indicative plural second-person)
-iront (future indicative plural third-person)
-irais (conditional first-person singular)
-irais (conditional second-person singular)
-irait (conditional singular third-person)
-irions (conditional first-person plural)
-iriez (conditional plural second-person)
-iraient (conditional plural third-person)
future of avoir + past participle (future indicative multiword-construction perfect)
conditional of avoir + past participle (conditional multiword-construction perfect)
-isse (first-person present singular subjunctive)
-isses (present second-person singular subjunctive)
-isse (present singular subjunctive third-person)
-issions (first-person plural present subjunctive)
-issiez (plural present second-person subjunctive)
-issent (plural present subjunctive third-person)
-isse (first-person imperfect singular subjunctive)
-isses (imperfect second-person singular subjunctive)
-ît (imperfect singular subjunctive third-person)
-issions (first-person imperfect plural subjunctive)
-issiez (imperfect plural second-person subjunctive)
-issent (imperfect plural subjunctive third-person)
-is (imperative second-person singular)
-issons (first-person imperative plural)
-issez (imperative plural second-person)

Inherited from Latin -īre, the ending of the present active infinitive form of fourth conjugation verbs. Cognate with Spanish -ir, Italian -ire, Romanian -i and -î, etc.

(non-productive) forms the infinitives of many verbs


-et

→? Galician: -ete, -eta

→ Spanish: -ete

Inherited from Middle French -et, from Old French -et, from Late Latin -ittus.

suffix indicating diminution or affection


-phile

→ Turkish: -fil

From Latin -phila, from Ancient Greek φίλος (phílos, “dear, beloved”).


-ation

From Old French -ation, borrowed from Latin -ātiōnem. In words inherited through Vulgar Latin, the same suffix yielded -aison.


-x

From a medieval ligature for -us, which looked similar to the letter x and was ultimately treated as identical to it. Thus Old French voyeus (“vowel”) was also spelt voyex, for instance. Later on the u was reinserted before the -x and this latter thus became an alternative spelling of -s in said position.

dieu → dieux

noyau → noyaux

hébreu → hébreux

Used to form the regular plurals of nouns and adjectives in -au and -eu.

pou → poux

Used to form the irregular plurals of a few nouns in -ou (which regularly add -s).


-ième

Inherited from Middle French -iesme, from Old French -esme, from Latin -ēsimus, via Vulgar Latin *-ĕsimus with irregular short *-e-, with analogy with ordinal numbers of tens like vīcēsimus or trīcēsimus.

quatrième

-st, -nd, and -th; forms ordinal numbers


-cyte

From Latin cyta, from Ancient Greek κύτος (kútos, “vessel”).


-ez

Inherited from Latin -ātis (“second-person plural indicative present suffix for the first conjugation”). Currently used in all second person plural forms (aside from in the past historic) and certain verbs, ousting -ētis (second conjugation), -itis (third conjugation), and -ītis (fourth conjugation).

inh+

second-person plural
second-person plural#English

Forms the second-person plural indicative and imperative of several verb conjugations.


-ate

benzo- (“benzo-”) + -ate → benzoate (“benzoate”)


-ite

Borrowed from Latin -ītēs, from Ancient Greek -ίτης (-ítēs).

alvéole (“alveolus”) + -ite → alvéolite (“alveolitis”)

pyro- (“pyro-”) + -ite → pyrite (“pyrite”)


-ite

arsén(ique) (“arsenic”) + -ite → arsénite (“arsenite”)


-ite

Adam (“Adam”) + -ite → adamite (“Adamite”)

Ali (“Ali”) + -ite → alaouite (“Alawite”)

Israël (“Israel”) + -ite → Israélite (“Israelite”)

-ite (person from a given location, especially in a historical context)


-ite

Anaximandre (“Anaximander”) + -ite → anaximandrite (“Anaximanderian”)

-ite (relating to following someone or something)

Israël (“Israel”) + -ite → israélite (“Israelite”)

-ite (relating to a given location, especially in a historical context)


-drome

vaccin (“vaccine”) + -o- + -drome → vaccinodrome (“mass vaccination center”)

samba (“samba”) + -o- + -drome → sambodrome (“sambadrome, Brazilian exhibition center for samba dancing”)


-esque

→ English: -esque

Borrowed from Italian -esco. Doublet of -ais and -ois.


-ales

plural of -ale; feminine plural of -al; feminine of -aux


-phage

From Latin suffix -phagus, from Ancient Greek φάγος (phágos, “glutton”), from Ancient Greek φαγεῖν (phageîn, “to eat”).


-ard

Inherited from Middle French, from Old French -ard, -art, from Frankish *-hard (“hardy, bold”), from Proto-Germanic *harduz (“hard”), from Proto-Indo-European *kert-, *kret- (“strong”). More at English hard.

Coordinate term: -asse

clocher (“to wobble”) + -ard → clochard (“tramp, vagrant”)

flemme (“laziness”) + -ard → flemmard (“idler”)

soul (“drunk”) + -ard → soulard (“drunkard”)

chauffeur (“driver”) + -ard → chauffard (“bad driver”)

montagne (“mountain”) + -ard → montagnard (“mountain-dweller”)

route (“road”) + -ard → routard (“backpacker”)

forms pejoratives, diminutives, and nouns representing or belonging to a particular class or sort


-ance

From Old French -ance, from Latin -antia and -entia. Compare Spanish -anza, -enza, Italian -anza, -enza, Portuguese -ança, -ença, Romanian -ință.
Cognate to French -ence.


-ant

Inherited from Old French -ant, from Latin -antem, -entem. Compare Italian -ante, -ente, Spanish -ante, -ente, -iente.

jouer (“to play”) + -ant → jouant (“playing”)

present participle
present participle#English

-ing; suffix denoting the gerund and present participle of a verb


-ant

fr-adj

-ant (feminine -ante, masculine plural -ants, feminine plural -antes)

-ante (feminine)
-ants (masculine plural)
-antes (feminine plural)

-ant, -ing; forms adjectives out of verbs

abracadabra + -ant → abracadabrant

(rare) forms adjectives from words other than verbs


-chrome

Borrowed from Ancient Greek χρῶμα (khrôma, “color”).

bor+

mono- + -chrome → monochrome (“monochrome”)


-age

→ Dutch: -age
→ Indonesian: -ase

→ German: -age

→ Romanian: -aj

Inherited from Middle French -age, from Old French -age, from Latin -āticum, greatly extended from words like rivage and voyage.

Forming nouns with the sense of "action or result of Xing" or, more rarely, "action related to X".

Forming nouns with the sense of "state of being (a) X".


-es

forms the second-person singular present indicative form of a verb

forms the second-person singular present subjunctive form of a verb


-el

fr-adj

-el (feminine -elle, masculine plural -els, feminine plural -elles)

-elle (feminine)
-els (masculine plural)
-elles (feminine plural)

→ Danish: -el

→ Dutch: -eel

Afrikaans: -eel

→ Indonesian: -il

→ German: -ell

→ Norwegian Bokmål: -ell

→ Norwegian Nynorsk: -ell

→ Swedish: -ell

→ Turkish: -sel

→ Yiddish: ־על (-el)

Inherited from Old French -el, from Latin -ālis. Doublet of -al.


-ence

Borrowed from Latin -entia. Compare Italian -enza, Portuguese -ença, -ência, Romanian -ință, -ență, Spanish -enza, -encia. Doublet of -ance, which is inherited.


-euse

Inherited from Latin -ōsa, feminine form of -ōsus (which became -eux).
Use as the female equivalent of -eur is a later development which rests on the phonetic similarity of the suffixes.


-eur

fr-noun

-eur m (plural -eurs, feminine -euse or -rice or -eure or -eresse or -oresse)

-eurs (plural)
-euse (feminine)
-rice (feminine)
-eure (feminine)
-eresse (feminine)
-oresse (feminine)

→ German: -eur

→ Russian: -ёр (-jór)

→ Swedish: -ör

→ Turkish: -ör

Inherited from Middle French -eur, from Old French -eor/-or, from Latin -ātōrem and -tor. Doublet of -ateur.

forms masculine agent nouns from verbs (some of which are also used as adjectives)


-eur

fr-adj

-eur (feminine -eure, masculine plural -eurs, feminine plural -eures)

-eure (feminine)
-eurs (masculine plural)
-eures (feminine plural)

Inherited from Middle French -eur, from Old French -or, from Latin -ior.

(unproductive) forms adjectives with a comparative sense


-eur

Inherited from Old French -our, from Latin -or, -ōs.

forms abstract nouns from adjectives: -ness, -o(u)r


-phobie

From Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos, “fear”).


-archie

Borrowed from Latin -archia, from Ancient Greek ἀρχός (arkhós, “leader”).


-ote

Caire + -ote → cairote, Cairote

Homs + -ote → homsiote, Homsiote

Tokyo + -ote → tokyote, Tokyote


-ons

Inherited from Middle French [Term?], from Old French -omes, -umes (first-person plural present indicative ending), of obscure and disputed origin. Possibly derived from the Frankish termination *-ōmēs, *-umēs (first-person plural present indicative ending), from Proto-Germanic *-ōmaz, *-amaz, related to Old High German -ōmēs, -umēs, Old Norse -um, Gothic -𐌿𐌼 (-um), -𐌰𐌼 (-am). Compare Occitan -èm, -am, -im, -em; Latin -āmus, -ēmus, -imus, -īmus. If French has directly inherited the Latin first-person plural ending, one would expect *-ens, *-eins, *-mes, and *-ins.

first-person plural
first-person plural#English

a suffix denoting the first-person plural present indicative form of a verb


-iez

forms the second-person plural imperfect indicative form of a verb

forms the second-person plural present subjunctive form of a verb


-ât

forms the third-person singular imperfect subjunctive form of an -er verb


-ît

forms the third-person singular imperfect subjunctive form of -ir and -re verbs


-ions

Inherited from (sense 1) Latin -iēbāmus and (sense 2) Latin -eāmus, with both elements containing -āmus is replaced with Frankish *-ōmēs (see more at -ons). In Old French, the paradigms of an -īre verb alongside in the sense 1, was also supplied to the subjunctive imperfect paradigms of -āre verbs: -asse, -asses, -ast, -issons, -issoiz, -assent.

porter (“to carry”) + -ions → portions (“(we) were carrying”)

forms the first-person plural imperfect indicative form of a verb

porter (“to carry”) + -ions → portions (“(that we) carry”)

forms the first-person plural present subjunctive form of a verb


-ait

Inherited from Old French -oit, an irregular development from second and third conjugation ending Latin -ēbat and fourth conjugation ending Latin -iēbat (note the dropping of -a- is irregular). Possibly due to the influence by the third-person singular subjunctive imperfect suffixes -ât, -ît, -ût (with a circumflex preceding -t) whose regularly drops -e- in unstressed positions.

forms the third-person singular imperfect indicative form of a verb


-aient

third-person plural
third-person plural#English

forms the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of a verb


-ent

-ent (feminine -ente, masculine plural -ents, feminine plural -entes)

-ente (feminine)
-ents (masculine plural)
-entes (feminine plural)

Inherited from Latin -entem. Mostly confined to learned formations; inherited words tend to use the spelling -ant.

content, inconvénient, spinescent


-ent

Elles marchent.

forms the third-person plural present indicative form of a verb

forms the third-person plural present subjunctive form of a verb


-ais

From Middle French -ois, from conflation of Latin -ēbās and -iēbas — second, third, and fourth conjugation variants of -bās, later generalized to all verbs.

Je regardais la télé pendant que tu parlais au téléphone.

I was watching the telly while you were talking on the phone.

forms the first-person and second-person singular imperfect indicative form of a verb


-ais

-ais (feminine -aise, masculine plural -ais, feminine plural -aises)

-aise (feminine)
-ais (masculine plural)
-aises (feminine plural)

Inherited from Old French -eis (feminine form -esche). In some senses from Late Latin, Vulgar Latin -iscus (from Frankish *-isk, from Proto-Germanic *-iskaz (“-ish”), conflated with Ancient Greek -ισκος (-iskos), all ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-iskos), in others from Latin -ēnsis. Akin to -ois.

France + -ais → français

Angle(terre) + -ais → anglais

Marseille + -ais → marseillais

forms adjectives that denote where something or someone is from


-ais

France + -ais → Français

Angle(terre) + -ais → Anglais

Marseille + -ais → Marseillais

forms nouns that denote where something or someone is from

France + -ais → français

Angle(terre) + -ais → anglais

forms nouns that specify the name of the language spoken in this place


-ai

forms the first-person singular past historic indicative form of an -er verb


-ine

café (“coffee”) + -ine → caféine (“caffeine”)

escalope (“escalope (cut of meat)”) + -ine → escalopine (“small escalope”)

feutre (“felt (material)”) + -ine → feutrine (“lightweight felt”)

pèler(in) (“pilgrim”) + -ine → pèlerine (“female pilgrim”)

assass(in) (“assassin”) + -ine → assassine (“female assassin”)

female equivalent of -in; forms female agent nouns


-ificateur

fr-noun

-ificateur m (plural -ificateurs, feminine -ificatrice)

-ificateurs (plural)
-ificatrice (feminine)

forms nouns referring to someone or something that realizes an action


-osité

Inherited from Middle French -osité, from Latin -ōsitātem.


-ification

Inherited from Old French -ification, in turn borrowed from Latin -ficātiōnem, a noun ending related to the supine ending -ficātum of first-conjugation verbs ending in -ficō.


-èdre

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἕδρα (hédra, “seat, base”).

bor+

hexa- (“hexa-”) + -èdre → hexaèdre (“hexahedron”)


-èdre

hexa- (“hexa-”) + -èdre → hexaèdre (“hexahedral”)


-iche

Apparently originally a dialectal reflex of Late Latin -icia, a suffix used to create abstract nouns from adjectives, from Latin -itia.

barbe (“beard”) + -iche → barbiche (“goatee”)

forms colloquial nouns, chiefly with hypocoristic effect


-iche

Godon (surname) + -iche → godiche (“clumsy, gawky”)

forms colloquial adjectives, chiefly with hypocoristic effect


-ois

Inherited from Old French -ois, from Latin -ēnsis. In some senses they are conflated with Late Latin -iscus (whence also the doublet -esque). More at -ish, -ese.

Used to form adjectives related to a particular country, region or city, their associated inhabitant names, and the local language or dialect


-ure

Inherited from Old French -(ë)ure, from Latin -(ā)tūram, the accusative case of -(ā)tūra.

brûler (“to burn”) + -ure → brûlure (“burn”)

blesser (“to injure”) + -ure → blessure (“injury”)

forms nouns describing the result of an action

iode (“iodine”) + -ure → iodure (“iodide”)


-eau

Inherited from Old French -el, from Latin -ellus.

éléphant + -eau → éléphanteau

zèbre + -eau → zébreau

forms diminutive masculine nouns, especially with the sense "young animal"


-ail

Inherited from Latin -āculum.
Doublet of -acle, which is borrowed from Latin -āculum.

éventer (“to ventilate”) → éventail (“fan”)

Forming masculine nouns from verbs and nouns, having the sense of ‘tool, object for a specific purpose’.

bête (“animal”) → bétail (“cattle”)

Forming masculine nouns from verbs and nouns, having a collective sense.


-man

used to form names of male professions or sportspersons


-iste

Borrowed from Latin -ista, from Ancient Greek -ιστής (-istḗs).


-iste

→ Danish: -ist

→ English: -ist

→ Icelandic: -isti

→ Norwegian Bokmål: -ist

→ Norwegian Nynorsk: -ist

→ Romanian: -ist

→ Swedish: -ist

→ Finnish: -isti

→ Turkish: -ist


-esse

Inherited from Old French -ece, from Latin -itia. The modern spelling is due to a phonetic merger with etymology 2; see below. Related to -ise.

used to form nouns describing the condition of being something (-ness, -ity, etc.)


-esse

Inherited from Middle French -esse, from Old French -esse, from Late Latin -issa, from Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa).


-ité

Borrowed from the Latin suffix -itātem, accusative of -itās. Compare the inherited -té from the same source.

Alternative form of -té, giving a quality or characteristic of an adjective; -ity


-té

Inherited from Middle French -té, from Old French -té, from Latin -itātem, or -tātem, accusative singular of -tās, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts. Compare the borrowed doublet -ité.

-ty (suffix used to form nouns, often denoting a quality or a property)


-ateur

fr-noun

-ateur m (plural -ateurs, feminine -atrice)

Borrowed from Latin -ātōrem. Doublet of -eur.


-oire

Borrowed from Latin -(āt)ōrius, suffix forming relational adjectives from verbs. Cognate to English -ory and -or.

hallucination + -oire → hallucinatoire (“hallucinatory”)

giration + -oire → giratoire (“gyratory, roundabout”)

Suffix used to form adjectives matched to nouns ending in -ation (or its variants) and derived from a Latin verb.


-oire

Inherited from Latin -(āt)ōria(m), the feminine singular form of the above. Compare Italian -toia.

balancer + -oire → balançoire f (“playground swing”)

bouillir + -oire → bouilloire f (“teakettle”)

Suffix used on verbs to form feminine nouns, generally referring to objects or tools used to do something.


-oire

Borrowed from Latin -(āt)ōrium (the neuter singular form of the above, used to form nouns denoting places and instruments). The inherited descendant of this ending is -oir.

laboratoire m (Latin laborare)

observatoire m (observer) — observatory

Suffix used on verbs (usually attached to the Latin supine stem) to form masculine nouns, genearally referring to places where something is done.


-oir

Inherited from Old French -eoir, from Latin -(āt)ōrium, a suffix attached to the supine stem of verbs to form neuter nouns denoting instruments or places. See also -oire f, inherited from Latin -(āt)ōria (the feminine version of this suffix), and -(at)oire m, a semi-learned borrowing from -tōrium that is found in nouns built on Latin supine stems. Cognate to English -ory and -or.

accouder + -oir → accoudoir (“armrest”)

mirer + -oir → miroir (“mirror”)

A suffix used on verbs to form masculine words for objects or tools used to do something.

dormir + -oir → dortoir (“dormitory”)

abattre + -oir → abattoir (“slaughterhouse”)

A suffix used on verbs to form masculine words for places where something is done.


-oir

-oir (infinitive)
avoir + past participle (infinitive multiword-construction)
-oissant (gerund participle present)
ayant + past participle (gerund multiword-construction participle present)
-oi (participle past)
-ois (first-person indicative present singular)
-ois (indicative present second-person singular)
-oit (indicative present singular third-person)
-oissons (first-person indicative plural present)
-oissez (indicative plural present second-person)
-oissent (indicative plural present third-person)
-oissais (first-person imperfect indicative singular)
-oissais (imperfect indicative second-person singular)
-oissait (imperfect indicative singular third-person)
-oissions (first-person imperfect indicative plural)
-oissiez (imperfect indicative plural second-person)
-oissaient (imperfect indicative plural third-person)
-ois (first-person historic indicative past singular)
-ois (historic indicative past second-person singular)
-oit (historic indicative past singular third-person)
-oîmes (first-person historic indicative past plural)
-oîtes (historic indicative past plural second-person)
-oirent (historic indicative past plural third-person)
-oirai (first-person future indicative singular)
-oiras (future indicative second-person singular)
-oira (future indicative singular third-person)
-oirons (first-person future indicative plural)
-oirez (future indicative plural second-person)
-oiront (future indicative plural third-person)
-oirais (conditional first-person singular)
-oirais (conditional second-person singular)
-oirait (conditional singular third-person)
-oirions (conditional first-person plural)
-oiriez (conditional plural second-person)
-oiraient (conditional plural third-person)
future of avoir + past participle (future indicative multiword-construction perfect)
conditional of avoir + past participle (conditional multiword-construction perfect)
-oisse (first-person present singular subjunctive)
-oisses (present second-person singular subjunctive)
-oisse (present singular subjunctive third-person)
-oissions (first-person plural present subjunctive)
-oissiez (plural present second-person subjunctive)
-oissent (plural present subjunctive third-person)
-oisse (first-person imperfect singular subjunctive)
-oisses (imperfect second-person singular subjunctive)
-oît (imperfect singular subjunctive third-person)
-oissions (first-person imperfect plural subjunctive)
-oissiez (imperfect plural second-person subjunctive)
-oissent (imperfect plural subjunctive third-person)
-ois (imperative second-person singular)
-oissons (first-person imperative plural)
-oissez (imperative plural second-person)

Inherited from Latin -ēre, the ending of the present active infinitive form of second conjugation verbs. Compare Italian -ere, Romanian -ea, Romansch -air.

A suffix forming infinitives of some verbs.


-eté

See -té. The form -eté is caused by false division of stem and suffix in cases like âpreté (which belongs to âpre): âpre + -té → âpr + eté.


-ien

Inherited from Middle French -ien, from Old French -ien, from Latin -iānus, from -ānus.
Cognate to French -ain and -an.

Paris + -ien → Parisien (“a Parisian”)

Californie + -ien → Californien (“a Californian”)

forms nouns denoting where something or someone is from; -ian


-ien

fr-adj

-ien (feminine -ienne, masculine plural -iens, feminine plural -iennes)

-ienne (feminine)
-iens (masculine plural)
-iennes (feminine plural)

Paris + -ien → parisien (“Parisian”)

Californie + -ien → californien (“Californian”)

Vadim + -ien → vadimien (“of Roger Vadim Plemiannikov, French screenwriter, film director and producer”)

forms adjectives indicating relation to; -ian


-if

-if (feminine -ive, masculine plural -ifs, feminine plural -ives)

-ive (feminine)
-ifs (masculine plural)
-ives (feminine plural)

desctree

→ Dutch: -ief
Afrikaans: -ief
→ Indonesian: -if

→ German: -iv

→ Norwegian Bokmål: -iv

→ Turkish: -if

Inherited from Middle French -if, from Old French -if, from Latin -īvus.

-ive; forms adjectives denoting characteristics or qualities


-aire

Semi-learned borrowing from Latin -ārium, the accusative of -ārius; or (in the feminine) from -āria. Compare the inherited doublet of -ier/-ière.


-logue

Borrowed from Ancient Greek λόγος (lógos).


-vore

head

-vore m (masculine and feminine, plural -vores)


-mètre

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron).


-iser

From Old French -iser, borrowed from Late Latin -izāre. Doublet of -oyer, which was inherited.


-assions

forms the first-person plural imperfect subjunctive of -er verbs


-assiez

forms the second-person plural imperfect subjunctive of -er verbs


-asses

forms the second-person singular imperfect subjunctive of -er verbs


-assent

forms the third-person plural imperfect subjunctive of -er verbs


-oyer

From Old French -oiier, inherited from Late Latin -izāre. Doublet of -iser, which was borrowed.

a suffix used to form some verbs, often with factitive effect


-asse

imperfect subjunctive
imperfect subjunctive#English

forms the first-person singular imperfect subjunctive of -er verbs


-asse

Inherited from Old French -ace, from Latin -āceus/-ācea.

Coordinate term: -ard

blonde (“blonde”) + -asse → blondasse (“dumb blonde”)

pute (“slut, whore (vulgar)”) + -asse → putasse (“nasty slut/whore (vulgar)”)

con (“cunt (vulgar)”) + -asse → connasse (“bitch (vulgar)”)


-asse

dégueuler (“to throw up, to vomit”) + -asse → dégueulasse (“disgusting, vile, yucky”)


-isse

used with a stem to for the first-person singular imperfect subjunctive of -ir verbs


-è

Euphonic alteration of -e in presubject position.

presubject first-person singular present indicative

presubject first-person singular present subjunctive

pensè-je IPA⁽ᵏᵉʸ⁾: /pɑ̃.sɛʒ/


-erai

From the infinitive suffix -er along with ai ("I have")

forms the first-person singular future of regular -er verbs


-âmes

From Latin -āvimus. The circumflex is by analogy with -âtes.

forms the first-person plural past historic of -er verbs


-âtes

Inherited from Old French -astes, from Latin -āstis, short counterpart to -āvistis.

forms the second-person plural past historic of -er verbs


-it

forms the third-person singular present indicative of -ir verbs

forms the third-person singular past historic of -ir verbs

forms the third-person singular past historic of -re verbs


-ouse

Apparently representing an old form of the feminine suffix -euse, preserved in slang.

bague (“ring”) + -ouse → bagouse (“large ring”) (slang)

bière (“beer”) + -ouse → binouse (“(glass of) beer”) (informal)

centrale (“center”) + -ouse → centrouse (“central prison house”) (slang)

feuille (“leaf”) + -ouse → fouillouse (“pocket (of a garment)”) (obsolete)

gamelle (“portable pot or pan”) + -ouse → galtouse (“dish”) (slang)

partie (“game, match”) + -ouse → partouse (“orgy”)

perle (“pearl”) + -ouse → perlouse (“pearl; fart”) (slang)

piqure (“prick, injection”) + -ouse → piquouse (“prick, hit (of heroin)”) (slang)

tante (“aunt”) + -ouse → tantouse (“queer, homo”) (informal, pejorative)


-at

Borrowed from Latin -ātum, whence also English -ate, and the inherited French doublet -é.

assassiner (“to assassinate”) + -at → assassinat (“assassination”)

denotes an action or a result of an action


-eux

fr-adj

-eux (feminine -euse, masculine plural -eux, feminine plural -euses)

-euse (feminine)
-eux (masculine plural)
-euses (feminine plural)

→ Danish: -øs

→ Dutch: -eus

→ German: -ös

→ Norwegian: -øs

→ Swedish: -ös

Inherited from Middle French -eux, -eulx, from Old French -eux, -eus, -us, -os, -ous, from Latin -ōsus. Doublet of -ose.

(Quebec) forms nouns and adjectives with a humble or pejorative character


-ville

From Old French -ville, from Latin vīlla.


-logie

→ Persian: ـلوژی (-loži)

→ Romanian: -logie

→ Turkish: -loji


-era

From the infinitive suffix -er along with a ("He/she/it has")

forms the third-person singular future of regular -er verbs


-mane

→ English: -mane

-mane, -maniac; Used to form adjectives and nouns describing sufferers of a mania


-ot

Variant of -et, originally from Burgundy. See Burgundian -ôt. From Vulgar Latin *-ottum.

petit + -ot → petiot

Pierre + -ot → Pierrot

Charles + -ot → Charlot

A diminutive indicator for certain words, functioning similarly to the more common -et. Used for some names:


-èrent

From Latin -ārunt, contracted form of -āverunt.

forms the third-person plural past historic of -er verbs


-iel

head

-iel (feminine -ielle, masculine plural -iels, feminine plural -ielles)

-ielle (feminine)
-iels (masculine plural)
-ielles (feminine plural)

Used to form adjectives. Compare with English -ial.

Used to form some nouns, especially when the noun was originally an adjective.


-els

plural of -el; masculine plural of -elle; masculine of -elles;


-ole

Borrowed from Latin -olus. Many words ending in -ole were borrowed with the suffix already present.

added to a noun to form a diminutive, or a depreciative form of that noun


-acée

Il n’en est pas de même pour l’eupatoire (Eupatorium cannabinum L.), une astéracée européenne […]

1990, La Recherche, volume 21, page 815:

The same cannot be said for the eupatorium (Eupatorium cannabinum L.), a European asteracea […]

(botany) suffix replacing -acées when designating a single member of a plant family


-acé

fr-adj

-acé (feminine -acée, masculine plural -acés, feminine plural -acées)

-acée (feminine)
-acés (masculine plural)
-acées (feminine plural)

(uncommon, sciences) a suffix forming adjectives; -aceous


-ain

Inherited from Old French -ain, from Latin -ānus, whence also French -an and -ien.

Jamaïque + -ain → Jamaïcain

Mexique + -ain → Mexicain

suffix used to form noun (uppercase) demonyms

Jamaïque + -ain → jamaïcain

Mexique + -ain → mexicain

suffix used to form adjective (lowercase) demonyms

pute + -ain → putain

indicates the old oblique case (cas régime) of certain nouns


-ée

Inherited from Old French, from Latin -ātam (accusative of -āta), whence also -ade, which is borrowed from other Romance languages.

bras (“arm”) + -ée → brassée (“armful”)

an (“year”) + -ée → année (“(duration of) a year”)

forms feminine nouns having the sense of "something contained by" (the root word)


-aille

French -aille has three sources:
* Latin -ālia, neuter plural of -ālis
* Latin -acula, neuter plural of -aculum
* Italian -aglia, as in canaille from Italian canaglia

trouver (“to find”) + -aille → trouvaille (“lucky find”)

rime (“rhyme”) + -aille → rimaille (“doggerel”)

(colloquial, derogatory or result) forms feminine nouns having a colloquial or pejorative meaning, or indicating the means or result of an action


-aison

Inherited from Old French -eison, -oison, inherited from Latin -ātiōnem. Compare the borrowed doublets -ation and -tion. Also represented more rarely as -oison (e.g. pâmoison) and -ison (e.g. guérison).

forms feminine nouns of action from verbs


-atif

-atif (feminine -ative, masculine plural -atifs, feminine plural -atives)

-ative (feminine)
-atifs (masculine plural)
-atives (feminine plural)


-elle

Inherited from Old French -ele, from Latin -ella.

forms feminine nouns, often with a diminutive sense


-amment

In Old French, adjectives ending in -ant often had identical masculine and feminine forms, so that the adverbial form ended in -antment, which resulted the loss of the t between the n and m, leading to -anment and then -amment.

courant + -amment → couramment

variant of -ment appended to adjectives ending in -ant


-atrice

fr-noun

-atrice f (plural -atrices, masculine -ateur)

Borrowed from Latin -ātrīcem. Doublet of -eresse.

Alternative form of -trice: -(a)trix, -ess


-philie

→ Turkish: -fili

From Ancient Greek φιλία (philía, “love”).


-woman

used to form the names of female sportspersons or professions


-crate

Borrowed from Ancient Greek κράτος (krátos, “power, might”).


-erait

forms the third-person singular conditional of regular -er verbs


-eraient

forms the third-person plural conditional of regular -er verbs


-erais

forms the first-person singular conditional of regular -er verbs

forms the second-person singular conditional of regular -er verbs


-eront

From the infinitive suffix -er along with ont ("They have")

forms the third-person plural simple future of regular -er verbs


-erez

From the infinitive suffix -er along with -ez, short for avez ("You all have")

forms the second-person plural future of regular -er verbs


-erons

From the infinitive suffix -er along with ons, short for avons ("We have")

forms the first-person plural simple future of regular -er verbs


-aie

Inherited from Latin -ēta, plural of -ētum. Cognate to Italian -eta and -eto.

used to form names of orchards or places where trees/plants are grown


-logique

→ Persian: ـلوژیک (-ložik)

→ Romanian: -logic

→ Turkish: -lojik


-quin

Inherited from Middle French -quin, -quain, from Middle Dutch -kin (compare Middle Low German -ken, German -chen), from Old Dutch *-kīn, from Proto-West Germanic *-ikīn, *-ukīn, a double diminutive formed from Proto-Germanic *-ukaz + Proto-Germanic *-īną. More at English -kin, -ock, -en.

mannequin

bouquin

casaquin

quinquin

rouquin

a suffix forming masculine nouns, originally diminutives, occurring especially in words of Dutch and Flemish origin


-issime

16th century, borrowed from Italian -issimo, from Latin -issimus.

La République de Venise était connue sous le nom de La Sérénissime.

The republic of Venice is known as the most serene state.

Ce film est un navet au scénario ridiculissime.

This film is notorious for the most ridiculous scene.

absolute superlative
absolute superlative#English

suffix used to build absolute superlative forms of adjectives


-ouze

Apparently representing an old form of the feminine suffix -euse, preserved in slang.

bague (“ring”) + -ouze → bagouze (“large ring”) (slang)

barbe (“beard”) + -ouze → barbouze (“thug”) (slang)

bière (“beer”) + -ouze → binouze (“(glass of) beer”) (informal)

centrale (“center”) + -ouze → centrouze (“central prison house”) (slang)

cravate (“tie (garment worn around the neck)”) + -ouze → cravetouze (“tie”) (slang)

feuille (“leaf”) + -ouze → fouillouze (“pocket (of a garment)”) (obsolete)

FLN (“FLN (National Liberation Front, in Algeria)”) + -ouze → fellouze (“guerrilla soldier in Algeria”) (pejorative)

gamelle (“portable pot or pan”) + -ouze → galetouze, galtouze (“dish”) (slang)

partie (“game, match”) + -ouze → partouze (“orgy”)

perle (“pearl”) + -ouze → perlouze (“pearl; fart”) (slang)

piqure (“prick, injection”) + -ouze → piquouze (“prick, hit (of heroin)”) (slang)

tante (“aunt”) + -ouze → tantouze (“queer, homo”) (informal, pejorative)

valise (“suitcase”) + -ouze → valtouze (“suitcase”) (informal)

forms colloquial or slang feminine forms of nouns


-oter

Inherited from Middle French -oter, from Old French -oter, from -ot + -er.

(colloquial) Forming verbs from other verbs, with a diminutive or frequentative sense


-culteur

indicates a grower or a keep of something, usually animal or plant related


-eraie

Alternative form of -aie; used to form names of orchards or places where trees/plants are grown


-aud

Inherited from Middle French -aud, from Old French -alt, -ault (later -aud) (compare Medieval Latin -aldus), from Frankish *-wald, suffixal note of *wald (“power, mastery, dominion”), from Proto-Germanic *waldaz, *waldą (“rule, authority”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- (“to be strong, possess”).

der

a suffix appended to forenames, especially those of Germanic origin

péquin + -aud → péquenaud (“country bumpkin”)

sale (“dirty”) + -aud → salaud (“bastard (vulgar)”)

forms diminutives, or nouns having a pejorative connotation


-aud

fr-adj

-aud (feminine -aude, masculine plural -auds, feminine plural -audes)

-aude (feminine)
-auds (masculine plural)
-audes (feminine plural)

court + -aud → courtaud

rouge + -aud → rougeaud

sale (“dirty”) + -aud → salaud (“vile, wretched”)

forms diminutives, or adjectives having a pejorative connotation


-âtre

Inherited from Old French -astre, from Latin -astrum. Cognate to Italian -astro.

bleue (“blue”) + -âtre → bleuâtre (“blueish”)

opinion (“opinion”) + -âtre → opiniâtre (“obstinate”)

gentilhomme (“gentleman”) + -âtre → gentillâtre (“lordling”)


-me

dixième → Xᵐᵉ

abbreviation of -ième when an ordinal number is written with Arabic or Roman numerals


-aine

Améric(ain) (“an American (male or of unspecified gender)”) + -aine → Américaine (“a female American”)

(noun) female equivalent of -ain (demonym)


-aine

améric(ain) (“American (masculine)”) + -aine → américaine (“American (feminine)”)

(adjective) forms the feminine singular of demonym adjectives in -ain


-aine

Il est dans la vingtaine avancée et elle est au début de la trentaine.

He's in his late twenties and she's in her early thirties.

Ils ont invité une dizaine d’amis pour un repas chez eux.

They invited tenish (= about ten) friends to have a meal at their place.

(noun) indicates approximation, suffixed to a number


-pole

From Ancient Greek πόλις (pólis, “city”).


-pole

From Ancient Greek πωλεῖν (pōleîn, “to sell”).


-mancie

Borrowed from Latin -mantīa, eventually from Ancient Greek μᾰντείᾱ (manteíā, “divination”).


-gène

→ Catalan: -gen

→ English: -gen

Norwegian Bokmål: -gen

Norwegian Nynorsk: -gen

→ Turkish: -jen

Borrowed from Ancient Greek -γενής (-genḗs).


-émie

From Ancient Greek αἷμα (haîma, “blood”).


-sphère

From Late Latin sphēra, earlier Latin sphaera (“ball, globe, celestial sphere”), from Ancient Greek σφαῖρα (sphaîra, “ball, globe”), of unknown origin.


-métrie

English: -metry

Borrowed from Latin -metria, from Ancient Greek -μετρία (-metría), from μέτρον (métron, “measurement”) + -ια (-ia, “-y: forming abstract nouns”).


-pause

Borrowed from Latin pausa, from Ancient Greek παῦσις (paûsis, “discontinuance”).


-oïde

From Ancient Greek εἶδος (eîdos, “form, likeness”).


-plastie

→ Persian: ـپلاستی (-plâsti)

→ Turkish: -plasti

From Ancient Greek πλαστός (plastós, “molded, formed”).


-eresse

Ultimately from Latin -ātrīcem, initially inherited as Old French -eriz; later changed to -eresse under the influence of -esse and superficial analysis as -eur + -esse. Doublet of -atrice, which was borrowed later.

(rare) used to form feminine forms of nouns, especially ones with masculine counterparts in -eur


-otte

female equivalent of -ot; forming feminine nouns and adjectives, chiefly with diminutive effect


-ailler

forms verbs with frequentative effect, often somewhat pejorative


-ème

morpho- (“morpho-”) + -ème → morphème (“morpheme”)


-oison

(no longer productive) variant form of -aison


-oche

Attested since Old French, but otherwise unclear; compare Italian -occio.

ciné + -oche → cinoche

facile + -oche → fastoche

(slang) Used to form nouns or adjectives.

broyer + -oche → brioche


-ax

furieux + -ax → furax

tendu + -ax → tendax


-graphe

-graph (device for measuring, writing, etc.)


-graphe

fr-noun

-graphe m or f by sense (plural -graphes)


-elette

diminutive suffix utilized to form feminine nouns or adjectives


-lithe

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek λίθος (líthos, “stone”).


-elet

head

-elet m (feminine -elette, masculine plural -elets, feminine plural -elettes)

-elette (feminine)
-elets (masculine plural)
-elettes (feminine plural)

diminutive suffix utilized to form masculine nouns or adjectives


-ptile

Representing the Ancient Greek πτῐ́λον (ptílon, “feather”, “down”; “leaf”).

der

coléoptile

pachyptile


-dingue

lourd + -dingue → lourdingue

crasseux + -dingue → cradingue

sourd + -dingue → sourdingue

(colloquial) suffix used to form augmentatives


-mont

From mont, from Old French mont (“hill, mountain”).

Forming a placename or a surname derived therefrom and denoting or connoting a hill or mountain


-wihr

From Alemannic German -wiir, alternative form of -wiler, from Middle High German wīler, wīlære, from Old High German wīlāri, from Latin villāre. See the main entry for more.

(central Alsace) Alternative form of -willer


-viller

From Alemannic German -wiler, from Middle High German wīler, wīlære, from Old High German wīlāri, from Latin villāre. See main entry for more.

(chiefly Northern Alsace, Lorraine) Alternative spelling of -willer


-willer

From Alemannic German -wiler, from Middle High German wīler, wīlære (“hamlet, farmstead”), from Old High German wīlāri (“hamlet, farmstead”), from Latin villāre (“farmstead, manor”). Cognate with German Weiler, Old French viller.

placename suffix found in Alsace, Lorraine, and adjacent areas of eastern France


-game

From Ancient Greek γάμος (gámos, “marriage, matrimony”).

adjectival suffix used to form nouns corresponding to a notion of marriage or sexual union


-cratie

Borrowed from Ancient Greek -κρατία (-kratía), from κράτος (krátos, “power, rule”).


-aillon

avocat (“lawyer”) + -aillon → avocaillon (“useless lawyer”)

écrivain (“writer”) + -aillon → écrivaillon (“hack”)

forms masculine nouns with diminutive or pejorative meaning


-onyme

From Ancient Greek ὄνυμα (ónuma, “name”).


-mère

From Ancient Greek μέρος (méros, “part”).


-naute

From Ancient Greek ναύτης (naútēs, “sailor, seaman”).


-gone

→? Turkish: -gon

Borrowed from Ancient Greek γωνία (gōnía).


-lâtrie

From Late Latin latria, from Ancient Greek λατρεία (latreía, “service; worship”).


-scopie

From Ancient Greek σκοπέω (skopéō, “to observe”).


-carpe

Borrowed from Ancient Greek καρπός (karpós, “fruit”).

bor+

éxo- + -carpe → éxocarpe (“exocarp”)


-carpe

échino- + -carpe → échinocarpe (“echinocarp”)


-srice

Alternative form of -trice (in forms derived from primarily Latin third conjugation verbs with stems ending in -t-, -d-, -rg-, -ll-, or -rr-.)


-eron

aile (“wing”) + -eron → aileron (“fin”)

Beauce + -eron → beauceron

bûche (“log”) + -eron → bûcheron (“lumberjack”)

vigne (“vine”) + -eron → vigneron (“winemaker”)


-erolle

bec (“beak”) + -erolle → becquerolle (“snipe”)

fève (“bean”) + -erolle → fèverolle (“broad bean, horse bean”)

ligne (“line”) + -erolle → lignerolle (“string made from old yarn (nautical)”)

mouche (“fly”) + -erolle → moucherolle (“tyrant flycatcher”)

rousse (“russet (feminine)”) + -erolle → rousserolle (“warbler”)


-erole

casse + -erole → casserole

Old French eve (“water”) + -erole → éverole (“blister”)

fève (“bean”) + -erole → fèverole (“broad bean, horse bean”)

ligne (“line”) + -erole → lignerole (“string made from old yarn (nautical)”)

mouche (“fly”) + -erole → moucherole (“tyrant flycatcher”)

profit + -erole → profiterole

forms diminutive nouns; Alternative form of -ole


-cole

Learned borrowing of Latin -cola (“cultivator”)

-cultural (relating to the cultivation of)


-aux

plural of -al; masculine plural of -ale; masculine of -ales


-eaux

plural of -eau; masculine plural of -elle; masculine of -elles;


-elles

feminine plural of -eau; feminine of -eaux

feminine plural of -el; feminine of -els


-claste

Borrowed from Ancient Greek κλαστός (klastós, “broken”), verbal adjective of κλάω (kláō, “to break”).

ostéo- (“osteo-”) + -claste → ostéoclaste (“osteoclast”)

pyro- (“pyro-”) + -claste → pyroclaste (“pyroclast”)


-claste

statuo- (“statuo-”) + -claste → statuoclaste (“statuoclastic”)


-phagie

From Latin -phagia, from Ancient Greek -φαγία (-phagía), from Ancient Greek φαγεῖν (phageîn, “to eat”).


-thèque

From Ancient Greek θήκη (thḗkē, “box or chest”).

uder

lipsono- + -thèque → lipsanothèque (“reliquary or shrine”)

vidéo + -thèque → vidéothèque (“video library”)

carte + -thèque → cartothèque (“map room”)

data + -thèque → datathèque (“data library”)

(broadly) place where things are broadcast or published

odonto- + -thèque → odontothèque (“odontotheca”)


-saure

Borrowed from Ancient Greek σαύρα (saúra, “lizard”).


-trophie

From Ancient Greek τροφή (trophḗ, “food, nourishment”).


-lâtre

From Ancient Greek λάτρις (látris, “servant”). The circumflex is by influence of unrelated -âtre.


-glosse

From Ancient Greek γλῶσσα (glôssa, “tongue”).


-anthropie

From Ancient Greek ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “human”).


-anthrope

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “human”).


-anthrope

fr-noun

-anthrope m or f by sense (plural -anthropes)


-lecte

From Ancient Greek λέγειν (légein) or from λέξις (léxis).


-ptère

From Ancient Greek πτερόν (pterón, “wing”).


-cèle

Borrowed from Ancient Greek κοῖλος (koîlos, “hollow”) or κήλη (kḗlē, “hernia”).


-gonie

From Ancient Greek γόνος (gónos, “product, seed”).


-rrhée

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ῥοία (rhoía, “flow, flux”).


-idé

bovidé (“bovid”), compare Bovidae

cervidé (“cervid”), compare Cervidae

hominidé (“hominid”), compare Hominidae


-garou

From loup-garou (“werewolf”). See also garou.


-coque

→ Persian: ـکوک (-kok)

→ Romanian: -coc

→ Turkish: -kok

From New Latin coccus, from Ancient Greek κόκκος (kókkos, “grain, seed”).


-îtes

Inherited from Old French -istes, from Latin -īvistis ~ -īistis

forms the second-person plural past historic of -ir and -re verbs


-ange

From Middle French -ange, from Old French -ange, -enghe, -enge, from Frankish *-ingu, from Proto-Germanic *-ingō. Cognate with Dutch -ing, English -ing, German -ung.

louer + -ange → louange

vider + -ange → vidange

(now unproductive) Creates nouns from verbs.