-al
EnglishEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Middle English -al, from the Latin adjective suffix -ālis, or French, Middle French and Old French -el, -al. Likely, the aforementioned Latin suffix is formed from Etruscan genitive suffix -l (as in Etruscan ati (“mother”) / atial (“mother's”)) + adjectival suffix -is (as in fortis, dēbilis, etc.).
Alternative formsEdit
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-al
- Of or pertaining to. Adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to make an adjective form. Often added to words of Latin origin, but used with other words also.
- Forming nouns, especially of verbal action.
Usage notesEdit
If the root word contains l, the variant -ar is often used instead (e.g. solar, lunar, columnar, lumbar), unless the root contains r after the l (lateral, plural). Sometimes both forms are found: linear, lineal. One also sees -ial, as in manorial.
As nominalizer, some verbs have two corresponding nouns, one ending in -al and the other in -tion/-sion (more common suffix), with one or the other being more common, sometimes with different nuances. Notable examples: disposition/disposal (dispose), proposition/proposal (propose), submission/submittal (submit), transmission/transmittal (transmit). Some superficial pairs are actually of different origin, notably reversion/reversal (revert/reverse, not both from reverse).
Derived termsEdit
- (of or pertaining to): Category:English words suffixed with -al
- (forming nouns, especially of verbal action.): arousal, arrival, bestowal, betrothal, denial, disposal, proposal, rental, rival, reversal, removal, subdual, submittal, transmittal
- -ical
See alsoEdit
Etymology 2Edit
Extracted from the word aldehyde.
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-al
- (organic chemistry) Forms the names of aldehydes.
TranslationsEdit
AnagramsEdit
AbenakiEdit
SuffixEdit
-al
- A suffix used to form the plurals of inanimate words.
- pessimen (“currant”) → pessimenal (“currants”)
- wôbigen (“it is white”) → wôbigenal (“they are white”)
Usage notesEdit
- -al is the most common suffix used to form the plurals of inanimate words, including most body parts and some words ending in the vowel a.
- See the usage notes at -ak.
CatalanEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-al (masculine and feminine plural -als)
- In adjectives, indicating relation.
- estructura (“structure”) → estructural (“structural”).
Derived termsEdit
DanishEdit
SuffixEdit
-al
DutchEdit
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-al
SynonymsEdit
Derived termsEdit
EsperantoEdit
PronunciationEdit
Audio (file)
SuffixEdit
-al
- for [...] reason (ending for correlatives of reason)
Derived termsEdit
FrenchEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Middle French -al, from Old French -al, borrowed from Latin -ālis. Doublet of -el, which is inherited.
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-al m (feminine -ale) (feminine plural: -ales; masculine plural: -aux;)
- -al (of or pertaining to; adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to make an adjective form. Often added to words of Latin origin, but used with other words also)
DescendantsEdit
Derived termsEdit
GermanEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-al
- pertaining to, using; adjectival suffix appended to nouns
Derived termsEdit
HungarianEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-al
- (verb-forming suffix) Added to a noun to form a verb.
- (noun-forming suffix) Added to a verb to form a noun (no longer productive in this role).
- (organic chemistry) -al (forms the names of aldehydes)
- etanal ― ethanal
Usage notesEdit
- (verb-forming suffix) Harmonic variants:
- -l is added to words ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-. Final -e changes to -é-. Final long vowels may shorten, e.g. ű → ü.
- -ol is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -al is added to other back-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -el is added to unrounded (and some rounded) front-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -öl is added to most rounded front-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -ál is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant
Note: Certain words take another, synonymous suffix, -z/-oz/-az/-ez/-öz/-áz or -zik/-ozik/-azik/-ezik/-özik.
- (noun-forming suffix) Harmonic variants:
Derived termsEdit
See alsoEdit
K'iche'Edit
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-al
- Forms nouns from adjectives
- Forms nouns from -aj verb suffix
- Forms nouns from adverbs
- Forms nouns from nouns
ReferencesEdit
- Allen J. Christenson, Kʼiche-English dictionary
LatinEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
From apocope of final e in -āle, neuter of -ālis.
SuffixEdit
-al n (genitive -ālis); third declension
- noun-forming suffix
DeclensionEdit
Third-declension noun (neuter, “pure” i-stem).
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Nominative | -al | -ālia |
Genitive | -ālis | -ālium |
Dative | -ālī | -ālibus |
Accusative | -al | -ālia |
Ablative | -ālī | -ālibus |
Vocative | -al | -ālia |
Derived termsEdit
LeponticEdit
SuffixEdit
-al • (-al)
- Romanization of -𐌀𐌋
ManxEdit
Alternative formsEdit
Etymology 1Edit
Extracted from goaill.
SuffixEdit
-al f
- suffix used to form verbal nouns
Etymology 2Edit
Extracted from goaill.
SuffixEdit
-al
- suffix used productively to form denominative verbs and their associated verbal nouns
Etymology 3Edit
From Middle Irish -amail (compare Irish -úil, Scottish Gaelic -ail, -eil), from Old Irish -amail.
SuffixEdit
-al
- An adjectival suffix applied to various words, usually nouns, to make an adjective.
See alsoEdit
Middle EnglishEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
Borrowed from Old French -al, -el and its source Latin -ālis.
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-al
- (not productive) Forms adjectives from Latin and Romance vocabulary.
Derived termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
ReferencesEdit
- “-al, suf.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
MunseeEdit
SuffixEdit
-al
- A suffix used to form the plurals of inanimate words.
Usage notesEdit
- -al is the most common suffix used to form the plurals of inanimate words, including most body parts and some words ending in the vowel a.
NormanEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Old French -al, from Latin -ālis.
SuffixEdit
-al
- -al (of or pertaining to; adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to make an adjective form)
Derived termsEdit
Old FrenchEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
Borrowed from Latin -ālis. Compare the inherited -el.
SuffixEdit
-al
- suffix used to form adjectives from nouns
- mesnal ― domestic; household(from mesnee)
DescendantsEdit
PolishEdit
EtymologyEdit
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-aľь.
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-al m
DeclensionEdit
Animate/personal:
Inanimate:
Surnames:
Derived termsEdit
Further readingEdit
- -al in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- -al in Polish dictionaries at PWN
PortugueseEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Old Portuguese -al, from Latin -ālis.
SuffixEdit
-al (plural -ais)
- appended to noun X, forms adjectives meaning “of or pertaining to X”
- forms synonyms of adjectives containing the suffix -ico
- appended to noun X, forms nouns meaning “a collection X” or “a large quantity of X”
- appended to noun X, forms nouns meaning “a place where there is plenty of X”
- appended to the name of a plant, forms nouns meaning “a field where that plant is cultivated”
Derived termsEdit
Etymology 2Edit
From the first syllable of álcool (“alcohol”) and aldeído (“aldehyde”).
SuffixEdit
-al m
SpanishEdit
EtymologyEdit
SuffixEdit
-al (plural -ales)
SuffixEdit
-al m (plural -ales)
- In nouns, indicating a place where something is grown, or where there is plenty of it.
See alsoEdit
Derived termsEdit
Further readingEdit
- “-al”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
SwedishEdit
SuffixEdit
-al
- -al, of or pertaining to; forming an adjective from a noun