-en
English edit
Pronunciation edit
- IPA(key): /ən/, [ən], [n̩]
Audio (Southern England) (file) - In many accents, -en routinely gives up its vowel syllable when given additional suffixes. For example, fatten /ˈfæt.ən/ + -ing /-ɪŋ/ can be /ˈfæt.ən.ɪŋ/ or /ˈfæt.nɪŋ/.
- Even in many accents where this habitual syllable deletion is less usual, the syllable loss may still predominate for certain formations that have become common words in their own right, such as gardener /ɡɑː(ɹ)d.nə(ɹ)/.
- Syllable loss is sometimes prevented to avoid merging with more normalized derivatives, such as for keeping lightening /ˈlaɪt.ən.ɪŋ/ from being pronounced identically to the established term lightning /ˈlaɪt.nɪŋ/ (notice the e is no longer written), even though they derive from a combination of lighten + -ing.
- But syllable loss may resume with inflections that are not in danger of merging with an established word, such as enlightening, which can be pronounced /ɛnˈlaɪt.ən.ɪŋ/ or /ɛnˈlaɪt.nɪŋ/ because "enlightning" is not a common word.
Etymology 1 edit
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, tók, tekinn (“take, took, taken”)). From Proto-Norse *-ᛁᚾᚨ- (*-ina-), from Proto-Germanic *-inaz, a variant of *-anaz. 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”)), from Proto-Germanic *-anaz, from Proto-Indo-European *-nós.
Alternative forms edit
Suffix edit
-en
- (no longer productive) Denotes the past participle form when attached to a verb.
- Denotes a quasi-past participle or participle-like adjective when attached to a noun or verb.
Usage notes edit
Some linguistic writing on English, such as The Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar, uses -en as the name of an abstract morpheme which forms the past participle of all English verbs. Including ones which do not actually use the suffix -en are described as "cook + -en → cooked".
Derived terms edit
Etymology 2 edit
From Middle English -en, from Old English -an, from Proto-Germanic *-an-, *-in-, from Proto-Indo-European *-én-.
From Middle English -n (in words ending in a vowel: flee: fleen "flea: fleas") and -en. Noun plural marker (predominantly in Southern dialects of Middle English), from Old English nominative-accusative plural ending of weak nouns (n-stem declension); compare nama m (“name”) + -en → naman (“names”); hlǣfdīġe f (“lady”) + -en → hlǣfdīġan (“ladies”); ēare n (“ear”) + -en → ēaran (“ears”). Assisted by Middle English dative plural ending -n, -en from late O.E. -un, -on, weakened form of earlier -um. Akin to Old High German n-stem (compare namo: namon "name: names"), Latin n-stem (compare homo: homin-).
Alternative forms edit
Suffix edit
-en
- Used to denote the plural form of a small number of English nouns, the majority of whose etymologies go back to the n-stem (i.e. weak noun) declension of Germanic languages.
- Examples in general modern use:
- Archaic or dialectal examples:
- bee + -en → been
- cheese + -en → cheesen
- ky (“cows”) + -en → kine
- knee + -en → kneen
- ey + -en → eyren
- eye + -en → eyen
- feather + -en → feathern
- horse + -en → horsen
- hose + -en → hosen
- house + -en → housen
- pease + -en → peasen
- shoe + -en → shoon
- sister + -en → sistren
- tree + -en → treen
- 1890, John Drummond Robertson, lord Henry Haughton Reynolds Moreton, A Glossary of Dialect & Archaic Words Used in the County of Gloucester:
- Moder, gyn, will not y washen' the dishen'. i. Mother, Jone, will not wash the dishes.
- (nonstandard, rare, often dialectal or humorous) Used to form the plural of nouns.
- 2007, James Patrick Kelly, John Kessel, Rewired: The Post-Cyberpunk Anthology:
- There was one other user logged in, “scaredy,” and he checked the process monitor and saw that scaredy had spawned all the hundreds of processes that were probing him and plenty of other boxen.
- 2012, Jenny Lawson, Let's Pretend This Never Happened:
- Victor and I are having a huge argument about whether or not to feed the foxen. Victor says yes, because they're adorable and— according to the neighbors—are quite tame. I say no, because we have a fat little pug who likes to frolic outside occasionally and I don't want to see him eaten. I thought we were on the same page about the fox, but then Victor went and threw an apple at it. And I was all, “What the fuck? We don't feed the foxen,” and he said, “I was throwing the apple at it to chase it away,” but Victor is a tremendous liar, and he didn't go to pick up the apple, probably because he knows that foxen love apple cider.
- 2015, David Greygoose, Brunt Boggart:
- For now the boys grew whiskers and hung fox pelts from their shoulders and the girlen all wore scarlet skirts and braided ribbons through their hair.
Usage notes edit
- Not productive, outside of occasional humorous use, particularly in computer hacker subculture. Notable examples are boxen, Unixen, VAXen, all of which are modelled on oxen.
- This ending is also found on some plurals that were borrowed intact from Dutch or German, like klompen, lagerstätten, lederhosen.
Derived terms edit
Etymology 3 edit
From Middle English -(e)nen, -(e)nien, from Old English -nian, from Proto-Germanic *-inōną. Cognate with Danish -ne, Swedish -na, Icelandic -na.
Suffix edit
-en
- When attached to certain adjectives, it forms a transitive verb whose meaning is, to make (adjective). Usually, the verb is ergative, 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", or "to become like (noun)".
Usage notes edit
- Although -en is a very common verb ending, it is not currently very productive in forming new words, being mostly restricted to monosyllabic bases which end in an obstruent; new formations tend to be nonstandard or humorous.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
Etymology 4 edit
From Middle English -en, from Old English -en, from Proto-West Germanic *-īn, from Proto-Germanic *-īnaz; suffix meaning "made of, consisting of, having the qualities of" applied to nouns to form adjectives. Akin to Dutch -en, German -en, Icelandic -inn, Latin -īnus. See -ine.
Alternative forms edit
Suffix edit
-en
- Suffix meaning "pertaining to", "having the qualities of", "resembling", "like".
- 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. Fowler (1926) pointed out the tendency for the -en forms to be restricted to metaphorical and secondary senses. 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.
- Current examples used in a literal and sometimes metaphorical sense:
- Examples where a metaphorical sense is common but the literal sense is rare or archaic:
- Rare or archaic examples:
- ash + -en → ashen ("made of ash-tree wood"; ashen "grey like ashes, appalled" is still current)
- box + -en → boxen ("made of boxwood")
- bronze + -en → bronzen
- silver + -en → silvern
- cedar + -en → cedarn
- leather + -en → leathern
- copper + -en → coppern
- paper + -en → papern
- brick + -en → bricken
- board + -en → boarden
- tree + -en → treen
- hemp + -en → hempen
- Orphan examples:
Derived terms edit
Etymology 5 edit
From Middle English -en, from Old English -en, from the neuter form of -en4.
Suffix edit
-en
- Used to form the diminutives of certain nouns.
Derived terms edit
See also edit
Etymology 6 edit
From Middle English -en, a blending of Old English infinitives -an and -n, from Proto-Germanic *-aną; and Old English -on and -en, the indicative and subjunctive past tense plural endings of verbs.
Suffix edit
-en
- (obsolete) Used to form the infinitive of verbs.
- c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
- The Sonne compell'd, beene Butcher to the Sire […]
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “(please specify the book)”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
- As gentle Shepheard in sweete euen-tide, When ruddy Phoebus gins to welke in west, High on an hill, his flocke to vewen wide […]
- c. 1607–1608, William Shakeſpeare, The Late, And much admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: Imprinted at London for Henry Goſſon, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act II, (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)]:
- From others' labours; for though he strive
To killen bad, keep good alive;
- 1844, William Barnes, “Bringen Wonne Gwäin O' Zundays”, in Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect:
- (obsolete) Used to form the plural present tense of verbs.
- 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Hugh Singleton, […], →OCLC; reprinted as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, The Shepheardes Calender […], London: John C. Nimmo, […], 1890, →OCLC:
- And when the shining sunne laugheth once,
You deemen the spring is come attonce.
Tho gynne you, fond flyes, the cold to scorne,
And, crowing in pypes made of greene corne,
You thinken to be lords of the yeare.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
- So forth they marchen in this goodly sort,
To take the solace of the open aire,
- c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
- And then the whole quire hold their hips and laugh,
And waxen in their mirth and neeze and swear
A merrier hour was never wasted there.
- c. 1607–1608, William Shakeſpeare, The Late, And much admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: Imprinted at London for Henry Goſſon, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act II, (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)]:
- All perishen of man, of pelf,
Ne aught escapen but himself;
- (obsolete, now nonstandard, dialectal) Used to form the plural past tense of verbs.
- 1883, Charlotte Sophia Burne, Georgina Frederica Jackson, Shropshire Folk-lore: A Sheaf of Gleanings, page 46:
- […] but they tooken on 'em soft, an' maden out as they wun right glad to see 'em agen, an axt 'em to come in an' a some mate an' drink.
- 2010, Kathi Purnell, Silent Heroes, page 188:
- Both of them had snow on their boots, and a little on the hems of their coats, but they weren't all froze cold like yesterday. “We tooken the bus,” RJ told us.
- 2014, John D. MacDonald, Deadly Welcome:
- Sure you've seen me before, Doyle. Turkey Kimbroy and I, we tooken you over to Davis long time ago to he'p you get in the army.
Usage notes edit
- Having begun to fade by the 15th century, it was used in Early Modern English primarily to show archaic or rustic speech.
- The weakening and loss of the marker caused some verbs to blend with verbs marked by Etymology 3; for example, Middle English leren (“to teach”) blended with lernen (“to learn”), which resulted in learn having a (dialectal) double meaning.
References edit
Anagrams edit
Basque edit
Etymology 1 edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Suffix edit
-en
- Used to form the superlative form of adjectives and adverbs.
Derived terms edit
Etymology 2 edit
Suffix edit
-en
- Genitive indefinite suffix.
- Genitive plural suffix.
- Used to form fractions; -th
Declension edit
Derived terms edit
Etymology 3 edit
Pronoun edit
-en
- Allomorphic form of -n (“that, which”).
Further reading edit
- “adizkiaren forma-aldaketak, aditz laguntzailea + menderagailuak (-(e)n, -(e)la, -(e)lako...) elartzean” in Euskara Batuaren Eskuliburua [Handbook of Standard Basque], euskaltzaindia.eus
Chuukese edit
Etymology edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Suffix edit
-en
Synonyms edit
Danish edit
Etymology edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Suffix edit
-en
- Forms the singular definite form of nouns of the common gender.
- Forms gerunds from verbs, these nouns being indeclinable and of the common gender.
- (organic chemistry) Identifies an alkene, these being of either the common or the neuter gender; -ene.
- (obsolete) Forms adverbs from adjectives, now displaced by -t.
Usage notes edit
- If the noun from which the singular definite is formed already ends in an unstressed schwa, this is not doubled: kage, kagen (but if the -e is stressed, a schwa is appended normally: ske, skeen; allé, alléen). If it ends with a consonant and the last vowel is short, the last consonant is usually doubled in native and nativized words, if it is one of {k, l, m, n, p, s, t}: hat, hatten. This is however not a reliable rule.
Derived terms edit
Dutch edit
Pronunciation edit
- IPA(key): /ə(n)/
- In most regions the final -n is silent except optionally in enunciation and as a hiatus breaker before a (typically unstressed) vowel in the following word. In western Belgium and parts of the north-eastern Netherlands, however, the /n/ is commonly sounded and may become syllabic [m̩], [n̩], [ŋ̍] (as in German, see below).
Etymology 1 edit
Primarily from weak class 2, from Middle Dutch -en, from Old Dutch -on, from Proto-West Germanic *-ōn, from Proto-Germanic *-ōną, from Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti (denominative) and *-h₂ti (factitive).
Suffix edit
-en
- Forms verbs from nouns and adjectives. The stem of the word itself does not change.
Inflection edit
For verb stems ending in a voiced consonant:
| Inflection of -en (weak) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | -en | |||
| past singular | -de | |||
| past participle | ge- -d | |||
| infinitive | -en | |||
| gerund | -en n | |||
| present tense | past tense | |||
| 1st person singular | - | -de | ||
| 2nd person sing. (jij) | -t | -de | ||
| 2nd person sing. (u) | -t | -de | ||
| 2nd person sing. (gij) | -t | -de | ||
| 3rd person singular | -t | -de | ||
| plural | -en | -den | ||
| subjunctive sing.1 | -e | -de | ||
| subjunctive plur.1 | -en | -den | ||
| imperative sing. | - | |||
| imperative plur.1 | -t | |||
| participles | -end | ge- -d | ||
| 1) Archaic. | ||||
For verb stems ending in a voiceless consonant:
| Inflection of -en (weak) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | -en | |||
| past singular | -te | |||
| past participle | ge- -t | |||
| infinitive | -en | |||
| gerund | -en n | |||
| present tense | past tense | |||
| 1st person singular | - | -te | ||
| 2nd person sing. (jij) | -t | -te | ||
| 2nd person sing. (u) | -t | -te | ||
| 2nd person sing. (gij) | -t | -te | ||
| 3rd person singular | -t | -te | ||
| plural | -en | -ten | ||
| subjunctive sing.1 | -e | -te | ||
| subjunctive plur.1 | -en | -ten | ||
| imperative sing. | - | |||
| imperative plur.1 | -t | |||
| participles | -end | ge- -t | ||
| 1) Archaic. | ||||
Derived terms edit
Etymology 2 edit
From Middle Dutch -ijn, -in, -en, from Old Dutch *-īn, from Proto-Germanic *-īnaz.
Suffix edit
-en
- Forms adjectives that indicate the substance from which something is made.
Inflection edit
| Inflection of -en | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| uninflected | -en | |||
| inflected | -en | |||
| comparative | — | |||
| positive | ||||
| predicative/adverbial | ||||
| indefinite | m./f. sing. | -en | ||
| n. sing. | -en | |||
| plural | -en | |||
| definite | -en | |||
| partitive | ||||
Derived terms edit
Etymology 3 edit
From Middle Dutch -en, a merger of various Old Dutch infinitive suffixes:
- The strong infinitive -an, from Proto-Germanic *-aną.
- The weak class 1 infinitive -en, -ien, from Proto-Germanic *-janą, *-ijaną.
- The weak class 2 infinitive -on, from Proto-Germanic *-ōną.
Suffix edit
-en
- Ending of the infinitive form of verbs.
Etymology 4 edit
From Middle Dutch -en, from Old Dutch -an, from Proto-Germanic *-anaz, from Proto-Indo-European *-nós.
Suffix edit
-en
- The ending of the past participle of strong verbs. This can also function as an adjective.
Inflection edit
| Inflection of -en | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| uninflected | -en | |||
| inflected | -en | |||
| comparative | -ener | |||
| positive | comparative | superlative | ||
| predicative/adverbial | -en | -ener | het -enst het -enste | |
| indefinite | m./f. sing. | -en | -ener | -enste |
| n. sing. | -en | -ener | -enste | |
| plural | -en | -ener | -enste | |
| definite | -en | -ener | -enste | |
| partitive | -ens | -eners | — | |
Etymology 5 edit
From various case forms of the Germanic weak nominal inflection.
Suffix edit
-en
- The ending of the plural form of many nouns.
- Taken by adjectives used as nouns, to form the plural form of such nouns.
- (archaic, not productive) The ending of a number of weak case endings of the adjective or the article.
- (archaic, not productive) The ending of the genitive case of certain nouns.
Etymology 6 edit
From various first- and third-person plural forms of Germanic verbs.
Suffix edit
-en
- The ending of the plural forms of verbs, in both present and past tense.
Etymology 7 edit
From Old Dutch -ana, from Proto-West Germanic *-anā, from Proto-Germanic *-anē.
Suffix edit
-en
Emilian edit
Pronunciation edit
Pronoun edit
-en (adverbial)
- (enclitic, after a consonant) Alternative form of in
- Mānjen un pōk! ― Eat some of it! (imperative, singular)
Finnish edit
Etymology 1 edit
See -Vn (illative).
Suffix edit
-en
- Suffix variant for the illative singular, see -Vn.
Etymology 2 edit
From Proto-Finnic *-dën.
Suffix edit
-en
- Suffix for the genitive plural. Usually preceded by the plural marker -i- or -j-, but may also have a consonant separator -d- after the plural marker if the words would otherwise have 3 consecutive vowels.
Etymology 3 edit
See -Vn (possessive).
Suffix edit
-en
- (possessive) A variant for the third-person suffix -nsa.
- (personal) Forms the impersonal potential present forms of verbs. Appended to the impersonal potential stem, which consists of the first infinitive followed by the potential mood marker -ne-.
Usage notes edit
See the usage notes under -Vn and -nsa.
Etymology 4 edit
The instructive singular of -e-.
Suffix edit
-en
- Forms the instructive case of the second infinitive of verbs.
Anagrams edit
German edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Middle High German -en, a merger of various terminations in Old High German reflecting different conjugational patterns, namely -an, -ōn, -en (-ien), and -nen, from Proto-Germanic *-aną, *-ōną, *-janą, *-āną, and *-naną.
Alternative forms edit
- -n (after -er, -el; in sein, tun, and some dated/poetic/colloquial forms such as gehn, stehn)
- -'n (alternatively in the dated/poetic/colloquial forms)
Pronunciation edit
- IPA(key): /ən/
- IPA(key): [ən] (possible in all contexts, but rare in most regions)
- IPA(key): [m̩] (after labial stops and sometimes labial nasals and fricatives)
- IPA(key): [ŋ̍] (after velar stops and sometimes velar nasals and fricatives)
- IPA(key): [l̩n] (with -l- after a full vowel)
- IPA(key): [ɐn] (with -r- after a full vowel)
- IPA(key): [n̩] (otherwise)
Suffix edit
-en
- A suffix of verbs in their infinitive form.
- Accordingly, the suffix is also applied to verbs borrowed from other languages, and may be understood as the suffix for denominal verbs in general (actually -∅ derivation or conversion plus an inflectional suffix that happens to be part of the citation form of a German verb).
- A suffix indicating the 1st and 3rd person plural forms (except the present indicative sind of sein).
- wir kommen ― we arrive
- sie kommen ― they arrive
- A suffix appended to strong verb stems to form the past participle, usually together with ge-.
Etymology 2 edit
From Middle High German -en, a merger of various terminations in Old High German reflecting different declensional patterns.
Alternative forms edit
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-en
- A suffix appended to some nouns in all of their plural forms. These nouns are so-called “weak” or “mixed” nouns; they are most often feminine, often masculine, rarely neuter.
- A suffix appended to weak masculine nouns in all oblique cases of the singular, and to some mixed nouns in the singular dative and accusative
- A suffix appended to most other nouns, the so-called “strong” nouns, in their plural dative
- A suffix (in fact, the most common declensional ending) which is appended to determiners, adjectives, and participles, for multiple forms of all grammatical cases, both singular and plural.
See also edit
Etymology 3 edit
From Middle High German -en, from Old High German -īn, from Proto-Germanic *-īnaz.
Alternative forms edit
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-en
- A suffix which is used to create adjectives that most often refer to materials
Etymology 4 edit
From the Ancient Greek -ηνός (-ēnós) feminine patronymic suffix.
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-en
Derived terms edit
Hungarian edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Suffix edit
-en (superessive case suffix)
Usage notes edit
- (superessive case suffix) Variants:
| Case | Back vowel a, á, o, ó, u, ú |
Front vowel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| unrounded e, é, i, í |
rounded ö, ő, ü, ű | ||
| nominative | — | ||
| accusative | -t | ||
| -ot / -at | -et | -öt | |
| dative | -nak | -nek | |
| instrumental | -val | -vel | |
| causal-final | -ért | ||
| translative | -vá | -vé | |
| terminative | -ig | ||
| essive-formal | -ként | ||
| essive-modal | -ul | -ül | |
| inessive | -ban | -ben | |
| superessive | -n | ||
| -on | -en | -ön | |
| adessive | -nál | -nél | |
| illative | -ba | -be | |
| sublative | -ra | -re | |
| allative | -hoz | -hez | -höz |
| elative | -ból | -ből | |
| delative | -ról | -ről | |
| ablative | -tól | -től | |
| Note for all endings: Stem-final -a/-e changes to -á-/-é-, respectively, except -ként. alma — almában, but almaként zene ― zenében, but zeneként | |||
See also edit
Etymology 2 edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Suffix edit
-en
- (deadjectival adverb-forming suffix) -ly. Added to an adjective to create an adverb.
- szép (“beautiful”) + -en → szépen (“beautifully”)
- könnyű (“light, easy”) + -en → könnyen (“easily”)
- bő (“ample”) + -en → bőven (“amply”)
- hű (“faithful”) + -en → híven (“faithfully”), aside from the regular hűen
- In Hungarian, this adverb form is used for certain complements that are adjectives in English.
- Nyersen eszi a répát. ― S/he eats carrots raw.
- (denumeral and depronominal adverb-forming suffix) Added to a numeral or a pronoun with this sense to create an adverb, expressing the number of people.
- kettő (“two”) + -en → ketten (“two people, two of us/you/them”)
- Ketten vannak a szobában. ― There are two people in the room.
- öt (“five”) + -en → öten (“five people, five of us/you/them”)
- hét (“seven”) + -en → heten (“seven people, seven of us/you/them”)
- Heten mentünk moziba. ― Seven of us went to the cinema.
- kevés (“few”) + -en → kevesen (“few people, few of us/you/them”)
- Sokan vannak a meghívottak, de kevesen a választottak. ― For many are called, but few are chosen.
- ezer (“thousand”) + -en → ezren (“a thousand people, a thousand of us/you/them”)
Usage notes edit
- (deadjectival adverb-forming suffix) Variants:
- -n is added to words ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-. Final -e changes to -é-.
- -an is added to most back-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -on is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -en is added to front-vowel words ending in a consonant, as well as some front-vowel words ending in a vowel. Their original word-final vowel may be lost (e.g. könnyű) or supplemented with a consonant (e.g. bő, hű).
- (denumeral and depronominal adverb-forming suffix) Variants:
- -n is added to some (very few) words ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-. Final -e changes to -é-.
- -an is added to back-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -en is added to front-vowel words ending in a consonant, as well as some front-vowel words ending in a vowel. Their original word-final vowel may be lost (e.g. kettő).
Derived terms edit
Etymology 3 edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Suffix edit
-en
- (verb-forming suffix) Added to a stem — often an onomatopoeia — to form a verb expressing an instantaneous action.
Usage notes edit
- (verb-forming suffix) Variants:
Derived terms edit
Etymology 4 edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Suffix edit
-en
- (personal suffix, chiefly dialectal or archaic) Forms the indefinite third-person singular suffix (currently only in the imperative mood as part of -jen, formerly also occurring in the indicative).
- nincsen (“he/she/it isn't, there is none of it”)
- van/lenni (“to be”) → legyen (“he/she/it should be, there should be”)
- kér (“to ask/request”) + -en → kérjen (“he/she/it should ask for some[thing]”)
- megy (“to go”) + -en → megyen (“he/she/it goes, is going”) (in the standard language: megy)
- vesz (“to take/grab”) + -en → veszen (“he/she/it takes/grabs”) (in the standard language: vesz)
- visz (“to take/carry”) + -en → viszen (“he/she/it takes/carries”) (in the standard language: visz)
Usage notes edit
- (personal suffix) Variants:
See also edit
Further reading edit
- László Honti (Q13780671). A magyar nyelv 3. személyeket jelölő morfémái (“Third-person morphemes in Hungarian”). In: Nyelvtudományi Közlemények, vol. 116, Budapest, 2020, pp. 7–70.
- László Grétsy (Q1028376). A nincs és a nincsen. In: Magyar Nemzet, January 16, 2003.
- (suffix of the adverb of number): Rounds, Carol. Hungarian: an Essential Grammar. London / New York: Routledge. 2001. →ISBN. Preview at Google Books, p. 189 (p. 204 in the PDF)
Japanese edit
Romanization edit
-en
Low German edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Middle Low German -inge, from Old Saxon -unga, from Proto-Germanic *-ingō, *-ungō. Cognate with Dutch -ing, Swedish -ning, German -ung, English -ing.
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-en f
- forms nouns from verbs (called gerunds) or other nouns, usually describing either an event in which an action is carried out, or the result of that action; the equivalent of English -ing
Derived terms edit
- Aflösen
- Afstimmen
- Anwiesen
- Bedüden
- Bereken
- Beropen
- Beschrieven
- Besinnen
- Besluten
- Bewegen
- Düngen
- Forschen
- Füern
- Gliekstellen
- Globaliseren
- Höpen
- Hüsen
- Levern
- Menen
- Nähren
- Opmuntern
- Regeren
- Reken
- Stiften
- Stärken
- Tehren
- Utdüden
- Uttehren
- Utwiesen
- Verafscheden
- Verfaten
- Verklappen
- Verköhlen
- Verornen
- Verplichten
- Versammeln
- Versöken
- Vertellen
- Verwanneln
- Verwohren
- Verwunnern
- Wickeln
- Överdüngen
- Ümwanneln
- Ümweltbelasten
- Ünnerscheden
- Ünnerstütten
Etymology 2 edit
From Middle Low German -en, a blending of Old Saxon infinitives -an, -ian and -on, from Proto-Germanic *-aną.
Suffix edit
-en
- Used to form the infinitive of verbs.
Alternative forms edit
Luxembourgish edit
Etymology edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-en
- Used for some nouns to form plural forms.
- Used to show the infinitive form of verbs.
- A suffix which is used to create adjectives that refer to materials
Usage notes edit
The suffix -en, like any ending that involves either -n or -nn, is subject to the Eifeler Regel. For example, Versioune weisen.
Middle Dutch edit
Etymology 1 edit
A merger of various infinitive suffixes:
- The strong infinitive Old Dutch -an, from Proto-Germanic *-aną.
- The weak class 1 infinitive Old Dutch -en, -ien, from Proto-Germanic *-janą, *-ijaną.
- The weak class 2 infinitive Old Dutch -on, from Proto-Germanic *-ōną.
Suffix edit
-en
- The ending of the infinitive form of verbs, used as a suffix to form new verbs as well.
Descendants edit
- Dutch: -en
Etymology 2 edit
From the Old Dutch [Term?] strong past participle ending -an, from Proto-Germanic *-anaz.
Suffix edit
-en
- The ending of the past participle of strong verbs.
Descendants edit
- Dutch: -en
Etymology 3 edit
From various first and third-person plural forms of Germanic verbs.
Suffix edit
-en
- The ending of the first- and third-person plural forms of verbs.
Descendants edit
- Dutch: -en
Etymology 4 edit
From Old Dutch *-īn, from Proto-Germanic *-īnaz.
Suffix edit
-en
- Alternative form of -in
Middle English edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Old Norse -inn, past participle ending of strong verbs, from Proto-Norse -ᛁᚾᚨᛉ (*-inaz), from Proto-Germanic *-inaz, *-anaz (past participle ending of strong verbs). Replaced the native past participle ending of strong verbs (from Old English -en) in some words, which had weakened to -e or disappeared.
Alternative forms edit
Suffix edit
-en
- Denotes the past participle form when attached to a strong verb.
Usage notes edit
In many cases y- and -en are added together as a circumfix.
The full -en was better-preserved in the northern dialects, whereas in many cases the southern dialects shortened the affix to -n.
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
- English: -en
References edit
- “-en, suf.(3).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 24 April 2018.
Etymology 2 edit
From Old English -an.
Alternative forms edit
Suffix edit
-en
- Denotes the infinitive when attached to verbs.
Derived terms edit
References edit
- “-en, suf.(3).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 24 April 2018.
Etymology 3 edit
From Old English -on, -en.
Alternative forms edit
Suffix edit
-en
- Denotes the past indicative plural form of verbs.
- Denotes the present and past subjunctive plural form of verbs.
- Denotes the present indicative plural form of certain verbs.
Usage notes edit
This suffix was increasingly reduced to -e.
The use of this suffix as present indicative plural was common in the Midland area, replacing -eth, -eþ.
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
- English: -en
References edit
- “-en, suf.(7).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 24 April 2018.
Etymology 4 edit
From Old English -an, a plural and oblique case marker.
Alternative forms edit
Suffix edit
-en
- Denotes the plural form of certain nouns.
- Denotes the oblique cases of certain nouns.
- Denotes the oblique cases and plural forms of weak adjectives.
Usage notes edit
This suffix as a plural marker is most heavily used in early Middle English, and is generally favoured in southern dialects, whereas northern dialects largely supplanted it with -es early.
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
- English: -en
References edit
- “-en, suf.(5).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 24 April 2018.
- “-en, suf.(6).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 24 April 2018.
Etymology 5 edit
From Old English -um.
Suffix edit
-en
References edit
- “-en, suf.(6).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 24 April 2018.
Etymology 6 edit
From Old English -en (“characteristic of; made of”), from Proto-Germanic *-īnaz.
Alternative forms edit
Suffix edit
-en
- Attached to a noun to form an adjective describing something as characteristic of, like, or pertaining to that noun.
- Attached to a noun that denotes a material to form an adjective describing something as made of that material.
Usage notes edit
The affixion of -en is sometimes accompanied by a mutation in the root vowel.
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
References edit
- “-en, suf.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 24 April 2018.
Etymology 7 edit
From Old English -en.
Suffix edit
-en
- Denotes a diminutive form of a noun.
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
- English: -en
Etymology 8 edit
From Old English -en.
Suffix edit
-en
- Denotes a female form of a small, fixed number of nouns.
Derived terms edit
References edit
- “-en, suf.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 24 April 2018.
Etymology 9 edit
From Old English -nian, from Proto-Germanic *-inōną.
Suffix edit
-en
- Alternative form of -enen.
Norwegian Bokmål edit
Etymology edit
From Ancient Greek -ηνή (-ēnḗ), feminine form of -ηνός (-ēnós, added to place name to form an adjective), from -νός (-nós), alternative form of -νος (-nos), from Proto-Indo-European *-nós (creates verbal adjectives from roots).
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-en (definite singular neuter -enet, definite singular masculine -enen, indefinite plural -en or -ener, definite plural -enene or -ena)
- (organic chemistry) Used to form nouns denoting alkynes; -ene
- acetylen, benzen ― acetylene, benzene
- (organic chemistry) Used to form nouns denoting alkenes; -ene
- etylen, propylen ― ethylene, propylene
References edit
- “-en” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
Anagrams edit
Old English edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Inherited from Proto-West Germanic *-īn, from Proto-Germanic *-īną.
Suffix edit
-en n
- (causes i-mutation) used to create diminutive neuter nouns
Declension edit
- Neuter
Etymology 2 edit
Inherited from Proto-West Germanic *-ini, from Proto-Germanic *-inī.
Alternative forms edit
Suffix edit
-en f
- (often causes i-mutation) used to create feminine nouns from other nouns
Declension edit
- Feminine
Derived terms edit
Etymology 3 edit
Inherited from Proto-West Germanic *-īn, from Proto-Germanic *-īnaz.
Suffix edit
-en
- (causes i-mutation) adjectival suffix meaning "material made of, consisting of”, also sometimes “characteristic of”.
- gold (“gold”) + -en → gylden (“golden”)
- ātor (“poison”) + -en → ǣtren (“venomous, poisonous”)
- stān (“stone”) + -en → stǣnen (“stonen”)
- āc (“oak”) + -en → ǣcen (“oaken”)
- trēow (“tree”) + -en → triewen (“wooden”)
- līn (“flax”) + -en → līnen (“linen”)
- sǣ (“sea”) + -en → sǣn (“marine”)
- fæder (“father”) + -en → fæderen (“paternal”)
Declension edit
| Singular | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -en | -enu, -nu, -eno, -no | -en |
| Accusative | -enne | -ene, -ne | -en |
| Genitive | -enes, -nes | -enre | -enes, -nes |
| Dative | -enum, -num | -enre | -enum, -num |
| Instrumental | -ene, -ne | -enre | -ene, -ne |
| Plural | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | -ene, -ne | -ena, -na, -ene, -ne | -enu, -nu, -eno, -no |
| Accusative | -ene, -ne | -ena, -na, -ene, -ne | -enu, -nu, -eno, -no |
| Genitive | -enra | -enra | -enra |
| Dative | -enum, -num | -enum, -num | -enum, -num |
| Instrumental | -enum, -num | -enum, -num | -enum, -num |
| Singular | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -ena, -na | -ene, -ne | -ene, -ne |
| Accusative | -enan, -nan | -enan, -nan | -ene, -ne |
| Genitive | -enan, -nan | -enan, -nan | -enan, -nan |
| Dative | -enan, -nan | -enan, -nan | -enan, -nan |
| Instrumental | -enan, -nan | -enan, -nan | -enan, -nan |
| Plural | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | -enan, -nan | -enan, -nan | -enan, -nan |
| Accusative | -enan, -nan | -enan, -nan | -enan, -nan |
| Genitive | -enra, -enena, -nena | -enra, -enena, -nena | -enra, -enena, -nena |
| Dative | -enum, -num | -enum, -num | -enum, -num |
| Instrumental | -enum, -num | -enum, -num | -enum, -num |
Descendants edit
Etymology 4 edit
Inherited from Proto-West Germanic *-an, from Proto-Germanic *-anaz.
Suffix edit
-en
- (verbal suffix) past participle ending of strong verbs
Etymology 5 edit
Proto-Germanic *-an, from Proto-Germanic *-an-.
Suffix edit
-en
- (adjective suffix) meaning belonging to or characterised by
Etymology 6 edit
Inherited from Proto-Germanic *-īni, from Proto-Germanic *-īniz. Sometimes with geminate -nn-, probably due to confusion with the feminine suffix from *-inī.
Suffix edit
-en f
- (causes i-mutation) forms nouns from class 1 weak verbs
Declension edit
Polish edit
Etymology edit
Derived from Ancient Greek -ηνός (-ēnós).
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-en m inan
- (organic chemistry) -ene (alkene)
Declension edit
Derived terms edit
Romani edit
Alternative forms edit
Suffix edit
-en
- Forms the accusative plural of oikoclitic animate nouns
Derived terms edit
Scots edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English -en, from Old English -en (“characteristic of; made of”).
Suffix edit
-en
- Attached to a noun to form an adjective describing something as characteristic of, like, or pertaining to that noun.
- Attached to a noun that denotes a material to form an adjective describing something as made of that material.
Derived terms edit
Slovene edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-Slavic *-ьnъ.
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-ən
- Suffix appended to words to create an adjective.
Derived terms edit
Spanish edit
Etymology edit
Suffix edit
-en
- Suffix indicating the third-person plural present indicative of -er and -ir verbs.
- Suffix indicating the third-person plural present subjunctive of -ar verbs.
- Suffix indicating the third-person plural imperative of -ar verbs.
See also edit
Swedish edit
Etymology 1 edit
From forms of Old Norse hinn (demonstrative pronoun), suffixed to the end of the noun stem. From Old Norse -inn, -in, from Proto-Germanic *jainaz, from Proto-Indo-European *i-.
Suffix edit
-en
- Suffix for definite form singular of common gender nouns which end in a consonant, e.g. fisk (“fish”) + -en → fisken (“the fish”); see also -n.
- Definite plural suffix for certain nouns; see also -na.
Etymology 2 edit
From Old Norse -inn, past participle ending of strong verbs.
Suffix edit
-en
- Suffix for the past participle of verbs belonging to the fourth (strong) declension, e.g. sjunga (“sing”) + -en → sjungen (“sung”), skjuta (“shoot”) + -en → skjuten (“shot”).
Etymology 3 edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “This certainly has multiple etymologies.”)
Suffix edit
-en
- Suffix for indefinite form plural of only the neuter noun huvud (“head”), e.g. huvud (“head”) + -en → huvuden (“heads”).
- Suffix which converts a few adjectives into adverbs, e.g. möjlig (“possible”) + -en → möjligen (“possibly”).
Anagrams edit
Welsh edit
Pronunciation edit
- (North Wales, standard, colloquial) IPA(key): /ɛn/
- (North Wales, colloquial) IPA(key): /an/
- (South Wales) IPA(key): /ɛn/
Etymology 1 edit
From Middle Welsh -en, from Old Welsh -en, from Proto-Brythonic *-enn. Cognate with Cornish -en, Breton -enn.
Suffix edit
-en f (masculine -yn)
- Used to form the singulative of certain words.
- Used to form certain singular words.
- diminutive suffix
- female or feminine person or creature
- suffix indicating an object, item, thing
Etymology 2 edit
Pronunciation edit
- (North Wales, standard, colloquial) IPA(key): /ɛn/
- (North Wales) (colloquial) IPA(key): /ai̯n/
- (South Wales) IPA(key): /ɛn/
Suffix edit
-en
- Used to form plural nouns.
Etymology 3 edit
Alternative forms edit
Suffix edit
-en
- (colloquial) verb suffix for the first-person plural conditional
- (colloquial) verb suffix for the third-person plural conditional
Derived terms edit
References edit
R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “-en”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
Yucatec Maya edit
Suffix edit
-en
- Suffix indicating the first-person singular present copular; added to nouns and adjectives
- Koolnáalen. ― I am a farmer.
- Teen na'en. ― I am a mother.
- Na'ajen. ― I am thirsty.
Suffix edit
-en
- Suffix indicating the second-person plural imperative
- Ooken! ― Enter!