-y
English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /i/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Alternative forms
Etymology 1
From Middle English -y, -i, from Old English -iġ (“-y, -ic”, suffix), from Proto-West Germanic *-g, from Proto-Germanic *-īgaz (“-y, -ic”), from Proto-Indo-European *-kos, *-ikos, *-iḱos (“-y, -ic”).
Cognate with Scots -ie (“-y”), West Frisian -ich (“-y”), Dutch -ig (“-y”), Low German -ig (“-y”), German -ig (“-y”), Swedish -ig (“-y”), Gothic -𐌹𐌲𐍃 (-igs, “-y”), Latin -icus (“-y, -ic”), Ancient Greek -ικός (-ikós), Sanskrit -इक (-ika). Doublet of -ac and -ic.
Suffix
-y
- Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives meaning “having the quality of”, either “involving the referent” or “analogous to it”.
- 2003, Cory Doctorow, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom[1], Macmillan, →ISBN:
- Tim keeps trying to make it all more impressionistic, less computer-y.
- Added to verbs to form adjectives meaning "inclined to".
Usage notes
- This suffix is very productive and can be added to almost any word. When the resulting word is not perceived to be an established or formal word (but rather a nonce word or a casualism), a hyphen is often used before the suffix (sandcastle → sandcastle-y); this is sometimes also used when an established term is used very literally, as a form of clarification (fuzz → fuzz-y (“fuzz-like”), distinct from fuzzy (“covered in fuzz”)). A few long-established words ending with this suffix have distinctive spellings, such as wintry and fiery, which English learners might misspell as *wintery and *firey.
Synonyms
- (form “having quality of” adjectives, denoting “involving the referent”): -al, -an, -ial, -ian, -ly, -ous
- (form “having quality of” adjectives, denoting “analogous to the referent”): -esque, -ish, -like, -ly, -oid
Antonyms
- (antonym(s) of “form “having quality of” adjectives”): -less
Translations
Note: translations of English words ending in -y do not necessarily end in the suffixes listed below.
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Etymology 2
Cognate with Scots -ie, being inherited directly from the same source Middle English -ie, -i, from Old English -iġ (“-ie, -y”, diminutive suffix), from Proto-West Germanic *-ij-, *-j- (diminutive suffix). Compare Dutch -je (diminutive suffix), German Low German -je (diminutive suffix), German -i (diminutive suffix).
Alternative forms
Suffix
-y
- Forming diminutive nouns.
- Forming familiar names, pet names, nicknames and terms of endearment.
Synonyms
Translations
Note: translations of English words ending in -y do not necessarily end in the suffixes listed below.
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Etymology 3
From Middle English -y, -ie, -ee, -e, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French -ie and -é, from Latin -ia, -ium, -tās, Ancient Greek -ίᾱ (-íā), -ειᾰ (-eia), -ιον (-ion). Cognate (as far as Latin -ia is involved) with German -ei and Dutch -ij.
Suffix
-y
- Forming abstract nouns denoting a condition, quality, or state.
- Used in the name of some locations which end in -ia in Latin.
Derived terms
Translations
Note: translations of English words ending in -y do not necessarily end in the suffixes listed below.
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Derived terms
Afar
Etymology 1
Pronunciation
Clitic
-y
- Used to form an interrogative copulative sentence: is it?
- Qafár af macáy? ― What is the Afar language?
Etymology 2
Pronunciation
Clitic
-y
- Used to join together noun phrases: and, also
- Saytun Qhuraan kee kay maqnah tarjamaty Qafar afal tani [The clear Qur'an and its explanation translated into the Afar language][2], Suurat Al-Faatica, verse 1:
- Fulte Racmattaay, Gunê Racmattale Yallih Migaaqal Qimbisa.
- I begin in the name of God, who gives mercy and surpasses mercy.
Usage notes
- When following a short vowel, -y lengthens that vowel:
- gaalá (“camel”) + -y → gaaláay (“and the camels”)
References
- E. M. Parker, R. J. Hayward (1985) An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN, page 282; 292
- Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015) L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie)[3], Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis), page 447
Asturian
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Pronoun
-y
Usage notes
It is always spelled with the hyphen, unlike other pronouns in the language.
Related terms
Czech
Suffix
-y
Derived terms
Further reading
- -y in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017
Egyptian
Pronunciation
- (modern Egyptological) IPA(key): /iː/
- Conventional anglicization: -y
Etymology 1
Suffix
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- (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Forms the plural imperative of verbs, particularly weak verbs.
- (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Optionally used to form the subjunctive of weak verbs.
Usage notes
The plural imperative can also appear without this suffix, in a form identical to the singular imperative.
Etymology 2
Suffix
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- Forms agent nouns from verbs.
Etymology 3
Suffix
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- (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Optionally marks the masculine imperfective active participle, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
Alternative forms
Etymology 4
Suffix
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- (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Optionally marks the masculine singular perfective passive participle of strong verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
Alternative forms
Etymology 5
Suffix
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- (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Optionally marks the perfective passive participle of weak verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
- (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Optionally marks the perfective relative form of weak verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
- (Late Egyptian) Marks the perfective passive participle of mostly third-weak transitive verbs, following the stem.
- (Late Egyptian) Occasionally marks the perfective active participle of mostly third-weak transitive verbs, following the stem.
Alternative forms
Etymology 6
Suffix
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- (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Rarely marks the imperfective relative form of all verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
Alternative forms
References
- James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 328–329, 354.
- Junge, Friedrich (2005) Late Egyptian Grammar: An Introduction, second English edition, Oxford: Griffith Institute, page 66
Finnish
Suffix
-y
- Front vowel variant of -u.
Declension
Inflection of -y (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation) | |||
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nominative | -y | -yt | |
genitive | -yn | -yjen | |
partitive | -yä | -yjä | |
illative | -yyn | -yihin | |
singular | plural | ||
nominative | -y | -yt | |
accusative | nom. | -y | -yt |
gen. | -yn | ||
genitive | -yn | -yjen | |
partitive | -yä | -yjä | |
inessive | -yssä | -yissä | |
elative | -ystä | -yistä | |
illative | -yyn | -yihin | |
adessive | -yllä | -yillä | |
ablative | -yltä | -yiltä | |
allative | -ylle | -yille | |
essive | -ynä | -yinä | |
translative | -yksi | -yiksi | |
abessive | -yttä | -yittä | |
instructive | — | -yin | |
comitative | See the possessive forms below. |
Possessive forms of -y (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Inflection of -y (Kotus type 2/palvelu, no gradation) | |||
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nominative | -y | -yt | |
genitive | -yn | -yjen -yiden -yitten | |
partitive | -yä | -yjä -yitä | |
illative | -yyn | -yihin | |
singular | plural | ||
nominative | -y | -yt | |
accusative | nom. | -y | -yt |
gen. | -yn | ||
genitive | -yn | -yjen -yiden -yitten | |
partitive | -yä | -yjä -yitä | |
inessive | -yssä | -yissä | |
elative | -ystä | -yistä | |
illative | -yyn | -yihin | |
adessive | -yllä | -yillä | |
ablative | -yltä | -yiltä | |
allative | -ylle | -yille | |
essive | -ynä | -yinä | |
translative | -yksi | -yiksi | |
abessive | -yttä | -yittä | |
instructive | — | -yin | |
comitative | See the possessive forms below. |
Possessive forms of -y (Kotus type 2/palvelu, no gradation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Lower Sorbian
Suffix
-y
- Alternative form of -i (used after “hard” consonants).
Middle English
Etymology 1
From Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic *-g, from Proto-Germanic *-gaz, from Proto-Indo-European *-kos. Doublet of -ik.
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Suffix
-y
- Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by being appended to a noun.
Derived terms
Descendants
References
- “-i,, suf.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 20 June 2018.
- “-i(e, suf.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 20 June 2018.
Etymology 2
Suffix
-y
- Alternative form of -yf
Etymology 3
Suffix
-y
- Alternative form of -ie
Northern Ohlone
Alternative forms
- -i (“after consonants”)
Suffix
-y (plural -iṭ)
- Used to form the imperative mood of verbs
References
María de los Angeles Colós, José Guzman, and John Peabody Harrington (1930s) Chochenyo Field Notes (Survey of California and Other Indian Langauges)[4], Unpublished
Old Polish
Etymology
Derived from Proto-Slavic *-ъjь, the definite form of hard-stem adjectives. See *jь.
Pronunciation
Suffix
-y
- forms adjectives
Derived terms
Polish
Etymology
Inherited from Old Polish -y.
Pronunciation
Suffix
-y
- nominative plural ending of some masculine nouns.
- vocative plural ending of some masculine nouns.
- genitive singular ending of some feminine nouns.
- nominative plural ending of some feminine nouns.
- accusative plural ending of some feminine nouns.
- vocative plural ending of some feminine nouns.
- personal, animate, and inanimate masculine nominative singular ending of some adjectives.
- personal, animate, and inanimate masculine vocative singular ending of some adjectives.
- inanimate masculine accusative singular ending of some adjectives.
- personal masculine nominative plural ending of some adjectives.
- personal masculine vocative plural ending of some adjectives.
Derived terms
Quechua
Suffix
-y
- Infinitive marker.
- mikhuy (“to eat”)
- Nominalizes verbs. The act of doing something. "-ing."
- pampachay (“pardon, remission”)
- Indicates first-person singular possessive.
- Conjugative suffix for the second-person imperative mood.
Scots
Suffix
-y
- Alternative form of -ie
References
- “-y, suff.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English doublets
- English lemmas
- English suffixes
- English adjective-forming suffixes
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- English terms with quotations
- English terms borrowed from Scots
- English terms derived from Scots
- English diminutive suffixes
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Anglo-Norman
- English terms derived from Middle French
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English noun-forming suffixes
- Afar terms with IPA pronunciation
- Afar clitics
- Afar terms with usage examples
- Afar terms with quotations
- Asturian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Asturian lemmas
- Asturian pronouns
- Asturian terms with usage examples
- Czech lemmas
- Czech adverbs
- Egyptian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Egyptian lemmas
- Egyptian suffixes
- Old Egyptian
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- Finnish lemmas
- Finnish suffixes
- Finnish noun-forming suffixes
- Finnish valo-type nominals
- Finnish palvelu-type nominals
- Lower Sorbian lemmas
- Lower Sorbian suffixes
- Lower Sorbian adjective-forming suffixes
- Middle English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- Middle English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- Middle English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Middle English terms derived from Old English
- Middle English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Middle English terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- Middle English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Middle English terms inherited from Old English
- Middle English doublets
- Middle English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Middle English lemmas
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- Middle English terms derived from Old French
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- Northern Ohlone lemmas
- Northern Ohlone suffixes
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- Old Polish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Old Polish lemmas
- Old Polish suffixes
- Polish terms derived from Proto-Slavic
- Polish terms inherited from Proto-Slavic
- Polish terms inherited from Old Polish
- Polish terms derived from Old Polish
- Polish 1-syllable words
- Polish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Polish/ɨ
- Rhymes:Polish/ɨ/1 syllable
- Polish terms with homophones
- Polish lemmas
- Polish suffixes
- Quechua lemmas
- Quechua suffixes
- Scots lemmas
- Scots suffixes