-nis
Dutch edit
Etymology edit
From Old Dutch -nissi, -nussi, from Proto-West Germanic *-nassī.
Suffix edit
-nis f (plural -nissen)
Usage notes edit
- While a cognate of -ness, this Dutch suffix is not an exact equivalent semantically; for example, it is not restricted to abstract nouns representing states of being but also produces more concrete, countable nouns, particularly action nouns.
- The deverbal suffix -nis proved one of the most productive noun-forming suffixes in Dutch up until 16th century Dutch.[1] It was a deverbal noun former and formed with verbal stems, infinitives or participles. Nowadays, the suffix -nis “-ness” is either no longer productive or at most marginally productive.
- In a few cases, the suffix carries a neuter gender; for example in vonnis and vuilnis
Derived terms edit
References edit
German edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Middle High German -nisse, from Old High German -nissī f, -nissi n, from Proto-West Germanic *-nassī. Cognate to English -ness.
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-nis n (genitive -nisses, plural -nisse)
- A suffix for deriving nouns from verbs or adjectives.
Derived terms edit
Derived terms
Suffix edit
-nis f (genitive -nis, plural -nisse)
- A suffix for deriving nouns from verbs or adjectives, etymologically identical to the preceding.
- erlauben (“to permit”) → Erlaubnis (“permission”)
- finster (“dark”) → Finsternis (“darkness”)
Usage notes edit
There is no perfect rule to determine whether a noun with the suffix -nis is neuter (→ suffix 1) or feminine (→ suffix 2). The former may be concrete or abstract, whereas the latter are almost exclusively abstract.
Derived terms edit
Derived terms
Middle English edit
Suffix edit
-nis
- Alternative form of -nesse
Old English edit
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-nis
- Alternative form of -nes