Suffixes -- List

List of English Suffixes

from http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/suffixtext.htm
A suffix is an affix that is added to the end of a word that conditions its usage or meaning. The opposite of suffix is prefix.



suffix Meaning Samples

Suffix General Meaning Example

-agogy leading pedagogy , demagogy

-archy rule, leadership gynarchy , anarchy

-cele, -coele, -coel body cavity mucocoel or mucocoele

-cele tumor, hernia hydatidocele

-centesis puncturing amniocentesis , rachicentesis

-chondrion small grainlike structure mitochondrion

-cide murder, killing agent suicide , vespacide, regicide

-cracy rule, government kakistocracy , democracy , androcracy

-cycle circle, cycle, unit of radio frequency epicycle , hydrocycle

-ectasia, -ectasis stretching out brochiectasis , telangiectasia

-ectomy surgical removal laryngectomy , vasectomy

-emesis vomiting hematemesis , hyperemesis

-emia blood condition leukemia , anaemia

-enchyma cellular tissue mesenchyma , karyenchyma

-ess female actress , waitress , stewardess

-esthesis, -esthesia sensation, feeling synesthesia, kinesthesis

-fugal fuge, driving or travelling away from, expelling centrifugal

-ful full of, having some or much hopeful , useful

-hedron geometric solid icosahedron , tetrahedron

-holic love , addiction alcoholic

-ic

-id skin rash syphilid

-ism doctrine, act, practice, condition Protestantism , alcoholism , Buddhism , southernism

-ist person dentist

-itis disease, inflammation hepatitis , gingivitis

-itude attitude , certitude

-ium metallic element (exception: helium) sodium , Calcium

-kinesis movement (ability thereof) telekinesis

-less lack of homeless , useless

-ly -like, having the attributes of; In modern English, primarily changes adjectives to adverbs; also changes some nouns to adjectives and some (past-tense) verbs to adverbs quick(adj) > quickly(adv), state(n) > stately(adj), abashed(v) > abashedly(adv)

-mania an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action kleptomania , megalomania , mythomania

-ography or -ogram writing, description stenography , geography , ideogram

-oid resembling solenoid , hominoid

-ology study, science planetology , thyroidology , phthisiology

-omics area of biology proteomics

-onomy knowledge of astronomy

-onym name, word antonym , consonym , heteronym

-osis process, action mitosis , osmosis

-osis formation ostosis

-osis diseased condition psychosis

-phagy, -phagia eating monophagy

-philia attraction hemophilia

-phobia fear acrophobia , mysophobia

-phone sound, audio telephone , homophone

-science knowing omniscience

-scope from Greek skopos , view; instrument for viewing and observing spaces microscope , telescope

-ship circle, state of being friendship , relationship

-stan land, country Afghanistan

-tropism to turn phototropism

-us inflammation ulcus (ulcer)

-ward direction southward

-wise direction clockwise