-ful
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Inherited from Middle English -ful, -full, from Old English -ful, -full (“full of; -ful”), from Proto-Germanic *-fullaz (“-ful”), from Proto-Germanic *fullaz (“full”); see full. Cognate with Scots -fu, Saterland Frisian -ful (“-ful”), West Frisian -fol (“-ful”), Dutch -vol (“-ful”), German -voll (“-ful”), Swedish -full (“-ful”), Icelandic -fullur, -fyllur (“-ful”).
Suffix edit
-ful
- Used to form adjectives from nouns, with the sense of being full of, tending to, or thoroughly possessing the quality expressed by the noun.
Synonyms edit
- (full of): -ose
Antonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
Etymology 2 edit
Inherited from Middle English -ful, from Old English -ful, -full, from Proto-Germanic *fullō, *fullijô (“filling”).
Suffix edit
-ful
- Used to form nouns from nouns meaning “as much as can be held by what is denoted by the noun”
Usage notes edit
The plural is formed by pluralizing the noun (e.g., librariesful) or by simply suffixing -s (e.g., libraryfuls).
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
See also edit
- (having a considerable amount of): -some
Anagrams edit
Middle English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Old English -ful, -full (“full of; -ful”), from Proto-West Germanic *-full, Proto-Germanic *-fullaz (“-ful”), from Proto-Germanic *fullaz (“full”). The use of the ending to denote nouns originates in the reanalysis of ful modifying a noun as being part of the noun itself, e.g. "cuppe ful" as "cuppe-ful".
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-ful
- Appended to nouns (or, rarely, adjectives and adverbs) to form adjectives denoting the experience or induction of an attitude, internal state or quality.
- Appended to nouns referring to containers or vessels, denoting the quantity that the given vessel is capable of holding.
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
References edit
- “-ful, suf.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 22 June 2018.
- “-ful, suf.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 22 June 2018.
Old English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-Germanic *-fullaz (“-ful”), from Proto-Germanic *fullaz (“full”).
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-ful
- full of; -ful
Declension edit
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
Saterland Frisian edit
Suffix edit
-ful
- Used to form adjectives from nouns; -ful