-ien

See also: ien and iëŋ

Breton

Etymology

From Old Breton -ion, -on, Proto-Brythonic *-onos, *-onā. Cognate to Welsh -ion, Cornish -yon.

Suffix

-ien

1. Noun pluralization suffix; sometimes with vocalic ablaut in the pluralized noun

   ‎lenner (“reader”) + ‎-ien → ‎lennerien (“readers”)

   ‎mab (“son”) + ‎-ien → ‎mibien (“sons”)

Derived terms

Breton terms suffixed with -ien

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French -ien, from Old French -ien, from Latin -iānus, from -ānus. Cognate to French -ain and -an.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɛ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

Suffix

-ien m (plural -iens, feminine -ienne)

1. forms nouns denoting where something or someone is from; -ian

   ‎Paris + ‎-ien → ‎Parisien (“a Parisian”)

   ‎Californie + ‎-ien → ‎Californien (“a Californian”)

Suffix

-ien (feminine -ienne, masculine plural -iens, feminine plural -iennes)

1. forms adjectives indicating relation to; -ian

   ‎Paris + ‎-ien → ‎parisien (“Parisian”)

   ‎Californie + ‎-ien → ‎californien (“Californian”)

   ‎Vadim + ‎-ien → ‎vadimien (“of Roger Vadim Plemiannikov, French screenwriter, film director and producer”)

Usage notes

When the name's last syllable contains "e" or "è" followed by a single consonant, that vowel is normally raised to "é": e.g. barrésien, beethovénien, mussétien, turnérien, wagnérien, etc.

Derived terms

French terms suffixed with -ien

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /i̯ən/, [i.ən], [jən]

• Audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle High German -ie, -je, from Latin -ia (feminine singular). Nouns with this Latinate suffix were originally strong (i.e. invariable) feminines, but inflected forms in -ien arose when the distinction between strong and weak feminines collapsed in later Middle High German. These were then treated by analogy with local names like Böhmen, Franken, Sachsen etc. (all originally dative plural of a tribe name).

Suffix

-ien n

1. Used to form country names; -ia

   ‎Tscheche (“Czech person”) + ‎-ien → ‎Tschechien (“Czechia”)

   ‎Jordan (“Jordan”, river) + ‎-ien → ‎Jordanien (“Jordan”, country)

Etymology 2

From Latin -ia (neuter plural). In some cases, analysable within German as a regular plural of an earlier form in -ium; e.g. Principium as an obsolete variant of Prinzip. The singular ending was sometimes lost, leaving -ien as a new, irregular plural suffix. In other cases, simply following the Latin i-declension (singular in -e, plural in -ia).

Suffix

-ien pl

1. Used to form the plurals of some neuter nouns of Latin descent whose original plural ends in -ia.

   ‎Material + ‎-ien → ‎Materialien

   ‎Prinzip + ‎-ien → ‎Prinzipien

   ‎Reptil + ‎-ien → ‎Reptilien

Usage notes

• Not all nouns whose Latin plural is -ia necessarily take this ending. Some take a regular plural in -e, or have both forms alongside (for example, Reptile).

Middle English

Alternative forms

• -ian, -ion, -ione, -ioun, -yen, -yone, -youn

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French -ien, from Latin -iānus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /-iˈɛːn/, /-i.ɛn/, /-i.ən/, /-jɛn/, /-jən/

Noun

-ien

1. Forms nouns and adjectives denoting origin, association, or residence; -ian.

Usage notes

• Before this ending, /k/ becomes /s/; for instance, musike /miu̯ˈziːk(ə)/ + -ien becomes musicien /miu̯ˌzisiˈɛːn/.

Derived terms

Middle English terms suffixed with -ien

Descendants

• English: -ian
• Scots: -ian

References

• “-ien, suf.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French -ien, from Latin -iānus.

Suffix

-ien (feminine equivalent -ienne)

1. -ian

   patricien

   patrician

Old French

Examples
Surgien Citeien

Etymology

From Latin -iānus, from -ānus.

Suffix

-ien (feminine equivalent -iene or -ienne)

1. -ian

Descendants

• Middle French: -ien
  • French: -ien
• → Middle English: -ien, -ian, -ion, -ione, -ioun, -yen, -yone, -youn
  • English: -ian
  • Scots: -ian