-nis
DutchEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Old Dutch -nissi, -nussi, from Proto-West Germanic *-nassī.
SuffixEdit
-nis f (plural -nissen)
Usage notesEdit
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.
Derived termsEdit
ReferencesEdit
GermanEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Middle High German -nisse, from Old High German -nissī f, -nissi n, from Proto-West Germanic *-nassī. Cognate to English -ness.
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-nis n (genitive -nisses, plural -nisse)
- A suffix for deriving nouns from verbs or adjectives.
Derived termsEdit
SuffixEdit
-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 notesEdit
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 termsEdit
Middle EnglishEdit
SuffixEdit
-nis
- Alternative form of -nesse
ReferencesEdit
- “-nes(se, suf.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 9 April 2018.
Old EnglishEdit
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-nis
- Alternative form of -nes