Spelling Suffixes Used With Ending And Middle Syllables Flashcards
What is a suffix that shows a NOUN meaning ‘place’?
-ia
utopia: A utopia is a perfect place where there are no problems and everyone is in agreement. (It is literally “nowhere,” coined in Modern Latin from Greek elements: ou “not” (see below) + topos “place”)
dystopia: A dystopia is an imaginary place that is the worst possible. (from dys- “bad, abnormal” + ending abstracted from utopia)
Arabia: peninsula that contains Saudi Arabia the Persian Gulf states, et al. (perhaps literally “inhabitant of the desert” and related to Hebrew arabha “desert.”)
Austria: country of central Europe whose capital is Vienna (from Proto-Germanic *aust- “east,” literally “toward the sunrise,” from PIE root *aus- (1) “to shine,” especially of the dawn) + reich “kingdom, realm, state” (from Proto-Germanic *rikja “rule,” from PIE root *reg- “move in a straight line,” with derivatives meaning “to direct in a straight line,” thus “to lead, rule”)
Australia: a continent that is south of Indonesia (The ultimate source is Latin auster “south wind,” hence, “the south country”)
Bolivia: country in central South America whose capitals are Sucre and La Paz
California: a state in the western United States whose capital is Sacramento
Colombia: a country in northern South America whose capital is Bogota
Ethiopia: a country of northeastern Africa whose capital is Addis Ababa
Georgia: a state of the southern United States whose capital is Atlanta
India: a country of South Asia whose capital is New Delhi
Indonesia: an island nation south of the Philippines whose capital is Jakarta
Namibia: country of southwestern Africa, capital of which is Windhoek
Pennsylvania: a state in the northeastern United States, capital of which is Harrisburg
Philadelphia: the city of “brotherly love”; the largest city in Pennsylvania
Romania: a country of southeastern Europe, the capital of which is Bucharest
Russia: a large country in northern Asia and eastern Europe whose capital is Moscow
Somalia: country in eastern Africa whose capital is Mogadishu
Syria: a country of southwestern Asia whose capital is Damascus
Tasmania: a state of southeastern Australia whose capital is Hobart
Virginia: a state of the eastern United States whose capital is Richmond
What is a suffix used to show a NOUN meaning ‘relating to’ and refers to a person who works in that area or field? It can also mean ‘characteristic of”.
-ian
Beautician –> someone who’s work is to beautify others
stygian: A stygian place is extremely and unpleasantly dark, gloomy, and frightening.
draconian: Draconian rules and laws are extremely strict and harsh.
stentorian: A stentorian voice is extremely loud and strong.
authoritarian: An authoritarian system, such as a government or military school, demands that people obey all orders without question.
riparian: The adjective riparian refers or relates to the bank of a river or other natural waterway.
Christian: characteristic of the teachings of Jesus Christ
Italian: characteristic of something or someone from Italy
Parisian: characteristic of something or someone from Paris
barbarian: without civilizing influences
equestrian: of or relating to or composed of knights
What is a suffix used to show a NOUN meaning ‘action’, ‘process’, or ‘act, state or result of doing something’?
(Not-er, -ery, -ure, -age)
-ion
dominion: When one country has dominion over another, it rules or controls it absolutely.
functionary: A functionary is a minor official who works for a government or political party; they attend to administrative tasks that are small and trivial.
injunction: An injunction is a court order that prevents someone from doing something.
torsion: Torsion is the strain produced on a body by twisting it.
circumlocution: Circumlocution is a way of saying or writing something that uses too many words, especially in order to avoid stating the true meaning clearly.
sedition: Sedition is the act of encouraging people to disobey and oppose the government currently in power.
conflagration: A conflagration is a fire that burns over a large area and is highly destructive.
accretion: Accretion is the slow, gradual process by which new things are added and something gets bigger.
predilection: If you have a predilection for something, you have a preference for it.
adulation: Adulation is praise and admiration for someone that includes more than they deserve, usually for the purposes of flattery.
evocation: An evocation of something creates or summons a clear mental image or impression of it through words, pictures, or music.
abnegation: The abnegation of something is someone’s giving up their rights or claim to it or denying themselves of it; this action may or may not be in their best interest.
attrition: Attrition is the process of gradually decreasing the strength of something—such as an army or workforce—by continually weakening it or decreasing it in size.
ablution: When you perform your ablutions, you wash yourself; this can be part of a religious ceremony as well.
benefaction: A benefaction is a charitable contribution of money or assistance that someone gives to a person or organization.
privation: If you suffer privation, you live without many of the basic things required for a comfortable life.
volition: If you do something of your own volition, you choose to do it because you want to—not because you are forced to.
ablation: The process of ablation is the removal of diseased organs or harmful substances from the body, often through surgical procedure.
retribution: Retribution is severe punishment that someone deserves because they have done something very wrong; it especially refers to punishment or revenge that is carried out by someone other than official authorities.
imprecation: An imprecation is a rude, offensive phrase or word that is said to someone or about someone especially when one is angry.
aspersion: An aspersion is an unkind remark or unfair judgment attacking someone’s character or reputation.
clarion: A clarion call is a stirring, emotional, and strong appeal to people to take action on something.
coalition: A coalition is a temporary union of different political or social groups that agrees to work together to achieve a shared aim.
sanction: A sanction is an official approval to do something; it may be a showing of support or acceptance for something, or it may officially support a punishment or restriction in response to an unacceptable action.
What is a suffix used to show a NOUN meaning ‘state’?
(Not -er, -ure, -ery, -ion)
-age
umbrage: When you take umbrage, you take offense at what another has done.
vantage: A vantage is a position, condition, or place that contains a powerful benefit, favored spot, or helpful aid of some kind.
tutelage: To be under someone’s tutelage is to be under their guidance and teaching.
visage: Someone’s visage is their face or the expression their face can make.
verbiage: Verbiage is an excessive use of words to convey something that could be expressed using fewer words; it can also be the manner or style in which someone uses words.
badinage: Badinage is lighthearted conversation that involves teasing, jokes, and humor.
entourage: An entourage is a group of assistants, servants, and other people who tag along with an important person.
barrage: A barrage of something, such as words or missiles, is an attacking stream that bursts steadily upon someone.
carnage: Mass carnage is the massacre or slaughter of many people at one time, usually in battle or from an unusually intense natural disaster.
bondage: the state of being under the control of a force or influence or abstract power
courage: a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
dotage: mental infirmity as a consequence of old age
vagabondage: travelling about without any clear destination
What suffix shows a NOUN that can sometimes double as a VERB in dictionary form, that means ‘shows actions or results’?
(Not -er, -ery, -ion, -age, -ic, -ate)
-ure
caricature: A caricature of someone is an exaggerated drawing or description that is designed to make that person look silly. The result of characterizing.
stricture: A stricture is a rule or condition that imposes restrictions or limits on what you can do. The result of being strict.
censure: Censure is written or verbal disapproval and harsh criticism of something that someone has done. The result of censoring.
conjecture: A conjecture is a theory or guess that is based on information that is not certain or complete. The result of guessing.
fissure: A fissure is a narrow and long crack or opening, usually in a rock face. The result of cracking or opening.
nurture: When you nurture someone, you feed and take care of them. The act of nurturing.
stature: A person’s stature in society is their social standing; this level of importance is determined by their position in life or their character. The result of getting a status.
composure: When someone exhibits composure, they remain calm—even in difficult times or conditions. The result of composing oneself.
nomenclature: Nomenclature is a specialized form of vocabulary that classifies or organizes things in the sciences or the arts into a clear and usable system. The result of naming.
leisure: When you are at leisure, you are not working; rather, you have free time that you can use to do what you wish.
embouchure: The word embouchure refers to how the lips and tongue are placed on a wind instrument or to the mouthpiece of a wind instrument.
prefigure: When something prefigures a future occurrence, it foreshadows, hints at, or suggests that it may very well happen.
adventurous: An adventurous person loves trying new things or taking risks to make their life more exciting.
natural: Something that happens in a natural way is the usual or normal way that it occurs.
fracture: A fracture is a break or crack, such as of or in a bone.
manufacture: When workers manufacture things, they make a lot of them, usually with the help of machines.
procedure: A procedure is a way of doing something or the steps taken to complete something.
feature: A feature of something is a part of it.
capture: When you capture something, you take it so that you have it.
structure: The structure of something is how the parts that make it up are put together; it can also be the thing, such as a building, that those parts make.
culture: A culture is the beliefs, practices, behavior, and art of a group of people at a time in history
What is a suffix used to show a NOUN meaning ‘act or practice of doing that verb’ or ‘state’?
(Not -er, -ure, -ion, -age)
-ery
chicanery: If you employ chicanery, you are devising and carrying out clever plans and trickery to cheat and deceive people.
effrontery: Effrontery is very rude behavior that shows a great lack of respect and is often insulting.
archery: the sport of shooting arrows with a bow
bravery: a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
bribery: the practice of offering something (usually money) in order to gain an illicit advantage
foolery: foolish or senseless behavior
ironmongery: the merchandise that is sold in an ironmonger’s shop
joinery: fine woodwork done by a joiner
knavery: lack of honesty
mummery: meaningless ceremonies and flattery
skulduggery: verbal misrepresentation intended to take advantage of you in some way
sorcery: the belief in magical spells that harness occult forces or evil spirits to produce unnatural effects in the world
surgery: the branch of medical science that treats disease or injury by operative procedures
witchery: the art of sorcery
What is a suffix used to show a NOUN (that can sometimes be used as a verb) that means
being made of, consisting of, usually applied to a noun designating a material
Or
Comes from accio which denotes something bad
Or
Comes from Latin ‘as’ meaning ‘unity’ and turned into ‘ace’ in old French
And that generally the etymology is unknown and debated
?
That sound existed on the root word itself that came from Latin.
-ace
grimace = grim (from PIE ghremno which imitated the sound of thunder meaning angry) + azo (From Latin aceus: Latin -āceus is an extension of the suffix -eus, meaning “being made of, consisting of,” usually applied to a noun designating a material (aureus, argenteus, etc.).)
menace ( Vulgar Latin *minaciare “to threaten,” from minacia “menace, threat”) so this one doesn’t have -ace as a root
populace = originally from Latin populus “people;” + pejorative (expressing discontent or disapproval) suffix -accio ( in Italian
accio denotes something bad), but could also argue -ace means unity here
solace = from PIE root selh meaning to reconcile, which made the suffixed form solatus. Atus = From Proto-Italic *-ātos, from Proto-Indo-European *-ehtos. A “pseudo-participle” possibly related to -tus, though similar formations in other Indo-European languages show that it was distinct from it already in Indo-European times.
What is a suffix used to show a NOUN or an ADJECTIVE meaning ‘more’, ‘an action’, ‘a process’, or ‘a person or thing that does that action’?
Thing that _______ (does that verb)
-er
Cracker –> the thing that cracks
Bigger –> more big
Runner –> someone who runs
What is a suffix used to show a NOUN or an ADJECTIVE meaning ‘relating to’ or ‘characterized by’?
(not -er, -ery, -ion, -age, -ure, -y, -ious/-ous, -ive, -ful, -ial/-al, -ine )
-ic /-ical / -icle
Icicle —> characterized by ice
heretic: A heretic is someone who doubts or acts in opposition to commonly or generally accepted beliefs. Characterized by heresy.
agnostic: An agnostic is a person who believes that it is impossible to know conclusively whether a supreme deity exists; they can be doubtful about other things as well.
pandemic: A pandemic disease is a far-reaching epidemic that affects people in a very wide geographic area. Characterized by pandemonium.
tragic: A tragic occurrence is extremely bad, deadly, or very sad in some way. Characterized by tragedy.
magic: possessing or using or characteristic of or appropriate to supernatural powers
public: not private
What is a very common suffix used to show a NOUN or a VERB (or less commonly an ADJECTIVE) that could mean ‘an action or result’ or ‘materials’? Also understood to mean ‘a continuous action’ or ‘of a continuous action’.
-ing
Handwriting
Unbecoming
Undoing
exacting: Someone who is exacting expects others to work very hard and carefully.
vexing: If a problem or situation is vexing, it puzzles, worries, or annoys someone.
scintillating: A scintillating conversation, speech, or performance is brilliantly clever, interesting, and lively.
overweening: Someone is overweening when they are not modest; rather, they think way too much of themselves and let everyone know about it.
resounding: A resounding success, victory, or defeat is very great or complete, whereas a noise of this kind is loud, powerful, and ringing.
unremitting: A thing or person that is unremitting is persistent and enduring in what is being done.
unassuming: Someone who is unassuming is not boastful or arrogant; rather, they are modest or humble.
unflagging: If you are unflagging while doing a task, you are untiring when working upon it and do not stop until it is finished.
unprepossessing: Something or someone that is unprepossessing is not impressive or is unattractive.
excruciating: An injury that is excruciating is extremely painful.
impending: An impending event is approaching fast or is about to occur; this word usually has a negative implication, referring to something threatening or harmful coming.
unrelenting: If you are unrelenting in your desire to do something, you stop at nothing until you’ve done it.
engaging: An engaging activity is attractive or agreeable to those who are involved in it.
teeming: Something teeming, such as a pond or forest, is filled or crowded with life—and growing even more so.
obliging: Someone who is obliging is very helpful towards other people, being eager to do them favors or offer them assistance.
advocating: supporting something
alleviating: making less onerous or severe
cajoling: gradually persuading someone to do something
eating: the act of consuming food
loving: feeling or showing love and affection
What is a suffix used to show a VERB in dictionary form and sometimes NOUN meaning ‘to make’ or
‘to have a certain quality’?
(Not -ure)
-ate
emulate: If you emulate someone, you try to behave the same way they do because you admire them a great deal.
interpolate: If you interpolate words into a piece of writing, you insert those words into it; such altering of the text could falsify it.
expropriate: If you expropriate something, you take it away for your own use although it does not belong to you; governments frequently expropriate private land to use for public purposes.
rejuvenate: To rejuvenate someone is to make that person feel young and strong again; to rejuvenate something is to make it like new once more.
precipitate: To precipitate something is to bring it about before its time or very quickly.
What is a suffix used to show an ADJECTIVE or a NOUN meaning ‘relating to’?
(Not -y, -ious/-ous, -ive, -ful, -ic/-cle/-ical, -ine, -age)
-al / -ial
Benefit –> beneficial
reprisal: A reprisal is something violent or harmful that you do to punish someone for something bad or unpleasant that they did to you.
dispersal: A dispersal of something is its scattering or distribution over a wide area.
appraisal: When you give an appraisal, you evaluate a person or assess the value of something.
ritual: A ritual is an established and formal behavior, such as a religious ceremony or graduation from high school.
signal: A signal is a sound or action that has a special meaning to people who hear or see it.
acquittal: a judgment of not guilty
arrival: accomplishment of an objective
confessional: a booth where a priest sits to hear confessions
crystal: a solid formed by the solidification of a chemical and having a highly regular atomic structure
metal: containing or made of or resembling or characteristic of a metal
petal: part of the perianth that is usually brightly colored
plural: grammatical number category referring to two or more items or units
retrieval (computer science): the operation of accessing information from the computer’s memory
What is a suffix used to show an ADJECTIVE (or less commonly a NOUN) meaning ‘having the qualities of’ or ‘full of’
(Not -ful, not -y)
-ous / -ious
Suspicious –> full of suspicion
imperious: Someone who is imperious behaves in a proud, overbearing, and highly confident manner that shows they expect to be obeyed without question.
vicarious: A vicarious pleasure or feeling is experienced by watching or reading about another person’s doing something rather than by doing it yourself.
specious: Something that is specious seems to be good, sound, or correct but is actually wrong or fake.
invidious: An action is invidious when it is done with the intention of creating harm or producing envy or hatred in others.
officious: An officious person acts in a self-important manner; therefore, they are very eager to offer unwanted advice or services—which makes them annoying.
pernicious: Something that is pernicious is very harmful or evil, often in a way that is hidden or not quickly noticed.
captious: A captious person has a fondness for catching others at fault; hence, they are overly critical and raise unwarranted objections too often.
sagacious: A sagacious person is wise, intelligent, and has the ability to make good practical decisions.
commodious: A commodious room or house is large and roomy, which makes it convenient and highly suitable for living.
nefarious: A nefarious activity is considered evil and highly dishonest.
noxious: Something that is noxious is harmful, extremely unpleasant, and often poisonous.
perfidious: Someone who is perfidious is not loyal and cannot be trusted.
deleterious: Something that is deleterious has a harmful effect.
obsequious: If someone is being obsequious, they are trying so hard to please someone that they lack sincerity in their actions towards that person.
contentious: When someone is contentious, they are argumentative and likely to provoke a fight.
lugubrious: If someone is lugubrious, they are looking very sad or gloomy.
multifarious: Something that is multifarious is made up of many kinds of different things.
oblivious: If you are oblivious to something that is happening, you do not notice it.
usurious: Usurious loans are made with a high interest rate.
auspicious: The adjective auspicious describes a positive beginning of something, such as a new business, or a certain time that looks to have a good chance of success or prosperity.
precarious: A precarious situation or state can very quickly become dangerous without warning.
bilious: Someone who has a bilious personality is highly irritable and bad-tempered.
meretricious: Something meretricious seems good and useful; in fact, it’s just showy and does not have much value at all.
audacious: An audacious person acts with great daring and sometimes reckless bravery—despite risks and warnings from other people—in order to achieve something.
tendentious: Someone who is tendentious is biased in their perceptions and opinions.
prodigious: Something that is prodigious is very large, impressive, or great.
capricious: Someone who is capricious changes their mind repeatedly or behaves in unexpected ways; a capricious series of events follows no predictable pattern.
egregious: An egregious mistake, failure, or problem is an extremely bad and very noticeable one.
precocious: A precocious child shows advanced intelligence or skill at an unusually young age.
facetious: Someone who is being facetious says things they intend to be funny but are nevertheless out of place.
insidious: Something that is insidious is dangerous because it seems harmless or not important; nevertheless, over time it gradually develops the capacity to cause harm and damage.
gregarious: A gregarious person is friendly, highly social, and prefers being with people rather than being alone.
What is a suffix used to show an ADJECTIVE, or less commonly a NOUN, meaning ‘of’ or ‘relating to’?
(Not -ive, ious/-ous, -ial/-al, -cle)
-ine
saturnine: Someone who is saturnine is looking miserable and sad, sometimes in a threatening or unfriendly way.
quarantine: When people or animals are quarantined, they are put in isolation so that they will not spread disease.
labyrinthine: If you describe a situation or process as labyrinthine, you mean that it is very complicated, involved, and difficult to understand.
internecine: An internecine conflict or quarrel takes place between people who belong to the same group, organization, country, etc.
aquiline: An aquiline feature, such as a nose or profile, is large, thin, and curved like the beak of an eagle.
byzantine: If you describe a system or process as byzantine, it means that you are criticizing it because it is excessively complicated and difficult to understand.
saccharine: If you are acting in a saccharine fashion, you are being way too sugary sweet or are being extremely sentimental, both of which can be irritating to others.
serpentine: A serpentine figure has a winding or twisting form, much like that of a slithering snake.
asinine: devoid of intelligence
canine: of or relating to a pointed conical tooth
divine: perceive intuitively or through some inexplicable perceptive powers
feline: of or relating to cats
feminine: associated with women and not with men
genuine: not fake or counterfeit
leonine: of or characteristic of or resembling a lion
marine: of or relating to the sea
masculine: of grammatical gender
wolverinea native or resident of Michigan
What is a suffix that shows an ADJECTIVE or NOUN meaning ‘inclined to’, or ‘of/that which does something’ ?
(Not -cle, -ious/-ous, -ial/-al, -ine )
-ive
Creative –> inclined to create
Sedative –> thing that makes you ‘sit’ or thing that relaxes you
abortive: An abortive attempt or action is cut short before it is finished; hence, it is unsuccessful.
purgative: A purgative agent completely cleans something out.
discursive: A piece of writing is discursive if it includes a lot of information that is not relevant to the main subject.
figurative: If you use words in a figurative way, they have an abstract or symbolic meaning beyond their literal interpretation.
substantive: Substantive issues are the most important, serious, and real issues of a subject.
lucrative: If a business is lucrative, it makes a lot of money.
tentative: To be tentative is to be hesitant or uncertain about something; an agreement or decision of this kind is likely to have changes before it reaches its final form.
cognitive: Cognitive describes those things related to judgment, memory, and other mental processes of knowing.
reductive: If you describe something as reductive, such as an explanation or a theory, you disapprove of it because it describes or explains something in such a simple way that it misses important details.
effusive: Someone who is effusive expresses happiness, pleasure, admiration, praise, etc., in an extremely enthusiastic way.
acquisitive: When you are acquisitive, you are driven to pursue and own wealth and possessions—often in a greedy fashion.
pervasive: If something is pervasive, it appears to be everywhere.
impassive: If someone is impassive, they are not showing any emotion.
introspective: If someone is introspective, they spend a lot of time examining their own feelings, thoughts, or ideas.
incisive: If an idea or thought is incisive, it is expressed in a penetrating and knowledgeable manner that is clear and brief; additionally, it can demonstrate impressive understanding of related ideas or thoughts.
putative: Something putative is supposed to be real; for example, a putative leader is one who everyone assumes is the leader—even though they may not be in reality.
pensive: If you are pensive, you are deeply thoughtful, often in a sad and/or serious way.
What is the Greek root meaning ‘write’?
graph
geography: Earth ‘writing’
biography: ‘writing’ of someone’s life
bibliography: ‘writing’ about books used
calligraphy: beautiful ‘writing’
choreography: the ‘writing’ of dance steps
cinematography: the ‘writing’ of film scenes
photography: the ‘writing’ of pictures using light
telegraph: ‘writing’ from afar
autograph: self ‘written’
graffiti: ‘writing’ on walls
What is the Greek root meaning ‘sound’ or ‘voice’?
phon
microphone: device that makes the small ‘sound’ of a voice louder
megaphone: device that makes a very big ‘sound’ when speaking into it
phone: short for telephone
telephone: device which carries ‘sound’ over long distances
saxophone: instrument invented by Adolphe Sax
sousaphone: instrument invented by John Philip Sousa
xylophone: instrument which makes ‘sound’ via mallets hitting wood
symphony: group of instruments which ‘sound’ together
euphonious: of good ‘sound’
cacophony: a harsh, unpleasant ‘sound’
phonetics: study of the ‘sounds’ that words make
phoneme: smallest units of ‘sound’ in words
homophone: words that ‘sound’ the same but are different in meaning and usually spelling
phonograph: device which played ‘sounds’ which were written on records
