What Is a Suffix, Anyway?
A suffix is a word part added to the end of a root. A suffix can change the meaning of a word and it can change the part of speech that word plays in a sentence. For example, if you add the suffix “ly” to an adjective, it will change the adjective to an adverb (soft—adjective; softly—adverb). Some common suffixes and their meanings are: “er”—used to compare two people or objects; “est”—the most or best of three or more people or objects; “ment”—a condition; “nes”—a state of being; “ous”—full of.
Source: users.bloomfield.edu/department/tutorial/READING/PPT/Word_Parts.ppt, modified by Rebecca Oberg
List of English Suffixes
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
|
