Classics 22: Etymology

Lesson 4

Suffixes

Suffixes are word-elements that occur exclusively after a stem or another suffix.
Sometimes, a dictionary will not separate suffixes from stems. In that case, it usually means that the etymon of the word already had the suffix. You can nonetheless analyse such words yourselves.
Some "suffixes" listed here are compounds with more than element and some include stems: -ology, for instance is a cement -o- plus log- (study) plus -y (abstract noun ending). Because such endings are used in English as if they were single suffixes, they are listed here as suffixes. It is useful to know both the etymology of their parts, and their meaning as a compound unit. Beware of exceptions: for example, anthology is not a case of the suffix -ology meaning "study of."

VERB ENDINGS
-ize	(makes a verb causative)	apo-log-ize, character-ize
ADJECTIVE ENDINGS
-ic	pertaining to	ge-o-graph-ic, Arct-ic
-tic		poli-tic, op-tic
-stic		a-gno-stic
-istic		character-istic
-etic		splen-etic
-otic		amni-otic
-id	associated with	par-ot-id
-iac		card-iac
-ian		u-top-ian, Corinth-ian
-oid	shaped like, having the property of	coll-oid
NOUN ENDINGS
Abstractions
-sia	quality, action, state, disease, etc. (cf. English -ness and -hood	a-mne-sia, an-esthe-sia
-sy		epi-lep-sy
-ia		hydr-o-phob-ia, an-em-ia
-y		en-erg-y, apo-log-y
Agent
-t	doer, agent	pro-phe-t, poe-t
-te		athle-te, para-cle-te
-ter		cau-ter-ize, cra-ter
-st		a-methy-st, palim-pse-st
-ist		bi-o-log-ist, Bapt-ist
Groups
-ad	a collection of, something/someone, associated with	ore-ad, dry-ad, Ili-ad, mon-ad
-ian		phys-ic-ian, Presby-ter-ian
-ite		Sem-ite, pyr-ite
Things
-ode	shaped like	ge-ode, nemat-ode
-eion	place for	Asklepi-eion
-ion		Hera-ion
-eum		mausol-eum
-ium		pan-demon-ium
-ion	diminutive	criter-ion
-ium		epi-thel-ium, gon-ang-ium
-isk		basil-isk
-ism	condition, belief in	em-bol-ism, sym-bol-ism, mon-o-the-ism, Cat-hol-ic-ism
Things Scientific
-ics	study of	phys-ics, ec-o-nom-ics
-ology	study of	ge-o-logy, etym-ology
-ide	chemical	chlor-ide
-ine		chlor-ine, iod-ine
-ane		meth-ane
-ene		eth-yl-ene
-yne		hex-yne
Mainly Medical
-itis	inflammation of	arthr-itis
-osis	morbid condition	scler-osis
-iasis	morbid condition	psor-iasis, elephant-iasis
-oma	morbid growth, tumor	sarc-oma, glauc-oma
Nouns from Verbs (in Greek itself, these are attached exclusively to verb stems)
-sis	the act or the action of	the-sis, ana-ly-sis
-se	the act or the action of	phra-se, do-se
-m	the result of an action	poe-m
-ma		cine-ma, plas-ma
-mat(-)	(used especially if affixing further suffixes)	mathe-mat-ics
-mata (plural of -ma)		pro-ble-mata
-me (from French)		the-me, bla-(sphe)-me, genome
-t, -te	past participle suffix (="-ed")	an-ec-do-te
-st	past participle suffix (="-ed")	cau-st-ic

Notes:

-sis and -ma

These two suffixes are attached mainly to verb stems. There are exceptions, such as glaucoma.
-ma becomes -mat- when combined with further elements: mathemat-ics, dramat-ic, axiomatic, etc.

The plural of words ending in -ma in Greek was -mata, as we see in English stigma, pl. stigmata

-t when added to a verb stem often changes it into the past participle (just as -ed does when added to English verbs)

an-ec-do-t-e ("not given out")

-ology, listed as a single suffix, is made up of -o-log-y (cement -o- + log "account, story, reason" + -y abstract noun ending)
-e is often added to the end of Greek elements to form nouns. It is not Greek in origin and has no meaning.

peristyle, microscope, magnetite, anecdote

Non-Greek Suffixes which are sometimes affixed to Greek stems include those in the following table:

Latin Suffixes
-al	(used to create adjectives)	historical
-ous	(used to create adjectives)	monotonous
-ary	(used to create nouns)	apothecary
French Suffixes
-eon	(used to create nouns)	surgeon
-ue		pedagogue
-age
English Suffixes
-er	agent
Arabic Suffix
-ol	chemical compound (from alcohol: do not confuse with similar Latin-derived -ol, -ole from oleum "oil")	al-cohol, phen-ol

Exercises:

1. Identify the suffixes and their meanings in the following words.

anthropoid	ornithologist	drama	catalyst
anecdote	megaphone	ballistic	pandemonium
presbyopia	presbyterianism	anonymous	hydrolysis
endemic	politics	psoriasis	onomatopeia
sphingine	museum	asterisk	neurosis
phlebitis	cyanide	enchiridion	carcinoma

2. Analyze the following words etymologically (i.e. break them up into their parts and give the meaning of each part)

cryptogram	programmatically	catalogue	deuterocanonical
lexicographer	epigraphy	methylene	phagocytary
parallelepipedon	deltoid	hypochondriac	carotid
ballistic	encaustic	mimetic	theatrical
heresy	apostolic	polymer	ptosis

3. Explain the difference between the following paired nouns:

thesis, theme	schisis, schism
zygosis, zygoma	(o)edesis, (o)edema
anthem, anthesis	carcinosis, carcinoma
diploma, diplosis	dilemma, prolepsis
morpheme, morphosis	syntagma, syntax
fibrosis, fibroma	myelosis, myeloma
bema, basis	cinema, akinesis

4. Investigate and report the etymologies of the following:

derrick	go	zodiac	leper
guillotine	nabisco	dermatosis	tawdry
litotes	macadam	buckwheat	nice
okay	jakes	treacle	zeugma
admiral	tea	yes	no

5. What are the following: betacism, iotacism, rhotacism, mytacism, and itacism?