Suffixes Used With Ending And Middle Syllables Flashcards
What does the suffix -ace mean?
Shows that the word is a noun, and generally that sound existed on the root word itself that came from Latin.
What does the suffix -age mean?
state
the resulting word will be a noun
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 does the suffix -ate mean?
to make
or
to have a certain quality
The result is a verb but can also sometimes also be used as a noun.
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 does the suffix -al / -ial mean?
Relating to
Makes a noun an adjective
Benefit –> beneficial
What does the suffix -ian mean?
Relating to
A person who works in that area or field
Makes the word a noun
Beautician –> someone who’s work is to beautify others
What does the suffix ious / ous mean?
Having the qualities of
Full of
Makes the noun an adjective, but could be a noun such as mucous
Suspicious –> full of suspicion
What does the suffix -ing mean?
An action or result
Materials
Can be a verb or a noun or even an adjective
Handwriting
Unbecoming
Undoing
What does the suffix -er mean
More
An action or process
A person or thing who does that action
Thing that _______ (does that verb)
Cracker –> the thing that cracks
Bigger –> more big
What does the suffix -ic /-ical / -icle mean?
Relating to
Characterized by
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 does the suffix -ery mean?
Act or practice of doing that verb
State (bravery is the state of being brave)
Makes an adjective, noun or another part of speech a noun
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 does the suffix -ion mean?
Action or process
act, state, or result of doing something
Home
-ion
act, state, or result of doing something
Makes a verb become a noun when used as a suffix.
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 does the suffix -ine mean?
of or relating to
Becomes an adjective, or less commonly, a noun
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 does the suffix -ive mean?
Inclined to
Of or that which does something
Can be an adjective or a noun
Creative –> inclined to create
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 does the root/suffix graph mean?
Write
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 does the root phon mean?
Sound, voice
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
What does the suffix -ia mean?
Place
utopia: A utopia is a perfect place where there are no problems and everyone is in agreement.
dystopia: A dystopia is an imaginary place that is the worst possible.
Arabia: peninsula that contains Saudi Arabia the Persian Gulf states, et al.
Austria: country of central Europe whose capital is Vienna
Australia: a continent that is south of Indonesia
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 does the suffix -ure mean?
Shows actions or results
Makes the word a noun and the same word can also sometimes be used as a verb
caricature: A caricature of someone is an exaggerated drawing or description that is designed to make that person look silly.
stricture: A stricture is a rule or condition that imposes restrictions or limits on what you can do.
censure: Censure is written or verbal disapproval and harsh criticism of something that someone has done.
conjecture: A conjecture is a theory or guess that is based on information that is not certain or complete.
fissure: A fissure is a narrow and long crack or opening, usually in a rock face.
nurture: When you nurture someone, you feed and take care of them.
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.
composure: When someone exhibits composure, they remain calm—even in difficult times or conditions.
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.
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.
