Definitions
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- A suffix from AS. -
an , formerly used to form the plural of many nouns, as in ashen , eyen , oxen , all obs. exceptoxen . In some cases, such as children and brethren , it has been added to older plural forms. - A suffix corresponding to AS. -
en and -on , formerly used to form the plural of verbs, as in housen , escapen . - A suffix signifying
to make ,to cause , used to form verbs from nouns and adjectives; as in strengthen , quicken , frighten . This must not be confused with-en corresponding in Old English to the AS. infinitive ending-an . - An adjectival suffix, meaning made of; as in gold
en , leaden , wooden . - The termination of the past participle of many strong verbs.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- suffix When attached to certain
adjectives , it formed a transitive verb whose meaning is, to make (adjective). Usually, the verb isergative , sometimes not. The same construction could also be done to certain (fewer) nouns, as, strengthen, in which case the verb means roughly, to give (noun) to. - suffix Denotes the
past participle form when attached to a verb. - suffix Denotes a quasi-past participle or participle-like adjective when attached to a noun or verb.
- suffix Used to form the diminutives of certain nouns
- suffix Suffix meaning "pertaining to", "having the qualities of", "resembling", "like".
- suffix When attached to certain nouns that are the names of a
material , it forms an adjective whose meaning is, made of (noun). This is a formative pattern with many obsolescent remnants. Changes in the form of the root noun, and the dropping of the "e" in the suffix occur. There are also orphan formations whose root has been lost to the current language. - suffix Can be used to denote the
plural form of a small number of English words, the majority of whose etymology goes back to the N-stem (i.e. Weak noun) declension ofGermanic languages. - suffix obsolete Used to form the
infinitive of verbs. - suffix obsolete Used to form the
third person plural present tense of verbs.
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Middle English -(e)nen, -(e)nien, from Old English -nian, from Proto-Germanic *-inōnan. Cognate with Old Norse -na.
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Middle English, from Old English -en, from Proto-Germanic *-īnaz; suffix meaning "made of, consisting of, having the qualities of" applied to nouns to form adjectives. Akin to Old High German -īn, Latin -īnus. See -ine.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From Middle English, from Old English -en, from the neuter form of -en4.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From Proto-Germanic.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From Middle English -en, a blending of Old English infintives -an and -n, from Proto-Germanic *-anan.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From Middle English -n, -en, past participle ending of strong verbs (compare Middle English take(n), took, taken: "take, took, taken"), from Old Norse -inn, past participle ending of strong verbs (compare Old Norse taka, tōk, takinn: "take, took, taken"). Replaced the native past participle ending of strong verbs (from Old English -en) in some words, which had weakened to -e or disappeared (compare Southern Middle English do(n), dud(e), ydo : "do, did, done"), but not in others (compare cume(n), com, ycume: "come, came, come").
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Examples
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