-y
English Edit
Pronunciation Edit
Audio (Southern England) (file)
Alternative forms Edit
Etymology 1 Edit
From Middle English -y, -i, from Old English -iġ (“-y, -ic”, suffix), from Proto-West Germanic *-g, from Proto-Germanic *-īgaz (“-y, -ic”), from Proto-Indo-European *-kos, *-ikos, *-iḱos (“-y, -ic”).
Cognate with Scots -ie (“-y”), West Frisian -ich (“-y”), Dutch -ig (“-y”), Low German -ig (“-y”), German -ig (“-y”), Swedish -ig (“-y”), Gothic -𐌹𐌲𐍃 (-igs, “-y”), Latin -icus (“-y, -ic”), Ancient Greek -ικός (-ikós), Sanskrit -इक (-ika). Doublet of -ac and -ic.
Suffix Edit
-y
- Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives meaning “having the quality of”, either “involving the referent” or “analogous to it”.
- 2003, Cory Doctorow, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom[1], Macmillan, →ISBN:
- Tim keeps trying to make it all more impressionistic, less computer-y.
- Added to verbs to form adjectives meaning "inclined to".
Usage notes Edit
- This suffix is very productive and can be added to almost any word. When the resulting word is not perceived to be an established or formal word (but rather a nonce word or a casualism), a hyphen is often used before the suffix (sandcastle → sandcastle-y); this is sometimes also used when an established term is used very literally, as a form of clarification (fuzz → fuzz-y (“fuzz-like”), distinct from fuzzy (“covered in fuzz”)). A few long-established words ending with this suffix have distinctive spellings, such as wintry and fiery, which English learners might misspell as *wintery and *firey.
Synonyms Edit
- (form “having quality of” adjectives, denoting “involving the referent”): -al, -an, -ial, -ian, -ly, -ous
- (form “having quality of” adjectives, denoting “analogous to the referent”): -esque, -ish, -like, -ly, -oid
Antonyms Edit
- (form “having quality of” adjectives): -less
Translations Edit
Note: translations of English words ending in -y do not necessarily end in the suffixes listed below.
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Etymology 2 Edit
Cognate with Scots -ie, being inherited directly from the same source Middle English -ie, -i, from Old English -iġ (“-ie, -y”, diminutive suffix), from Proto-West Germanic *-ij-, *-j- (diminutive suffix). Compare Dutch -je (diminutive suffix), German Low German -je (diminutive suffix).
Alternative forms Edit
Suffix Edit
-y
- Forming diminutive nouns.
- Forming familiar names, pet names, nicknames and terms of endearment.
Synonyms Edit
Translations Edit
Note: translations of English words ending in -y do not necessarily end in the suffixes listed below.
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Etymology 3 Edit
From Middle English -y, -ie, -ee, -e, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French -ie and -é, from Latin -ia, -ium, -tās, Ancient Greek -ίᾱ (-íā), -ειᾰ (-eia), -ιον (-ion). Cognate (as far as Latin -ia is involved) with German -ei and Dutch -ij.
Suffix Edit
-y
- Forming abstract nouns denoting a condition, quality, or state.
- Used in the name of some locations which end in -ia in Latin.
Derived terms Edit
Translations Edit
Note: translations of English words ending in -y do not necessarily end in the suffixes listed below.
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Derived terms Edit
Afar Edit
Etymology 1 Edit
Pronunciation Edit
Clitic Edit
-y
- Used to form an interrogative copulative sentence: is it?
- Qafár af macáy? ― What is the Afar language?
Etymology 2 Edit
Pronunciation Edit
Clitic Edit
-y
- Used to join together noun phrases: and, also
- Saytun Qhuraan kee kay maqnah tarjamaty Qafar afal tani [The clear Qur'an and its explanation translated into the Afar language][2], Suurat Al-Faatica, verse 1:
- Fulte Racmattaay, Gunê Racmattale Yallih Migaaqal Qimbisa.
- I begin in the name of God, who gives mercy and surpasses mercy.
Usage notes Edit
- When following a short vowel, -y lengthens that vowel:
- gaalá (“camel”) + -y → gaaláay (“and the camels”)
References Edit
- E. M. Parker; R. J. Hayward (1985) An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN, pages 282; 292
- Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015) L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie)[3], Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis), page 447
Asturian Edit
Pronunciation Edit
Pronoun Edit
-y
Usage notes Edit
It is always spelled with the hyphen, unlike other pronouns in the language.
Related terms Edit
Czech Edit
Suffix Edit
-y
Derived terms Edit
Further reading Edit
- -y in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017
Egyptian Edit
Pronunciation Edit
- (modern Egyptological) IPA(key): /iː/
- Conventional anglicization: -y
Etymology 1 Edit
Suffix Edit
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- (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Forms the plural imperative of verbs, particularly weak verbs.
- (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Optionally used to form the subjunctive of weak verbs.
Usage notes Edit
The plural imperative can also appear without this suffix, in a form identical to the singular imperative.
Etymology 2 Edit
Suffix Edit
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- Forms agent nouns from verbs.
Etymology 3 Edit
Suffix Edit
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- (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Optionally marks the masculine imperfective active participle, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
Alternative forms Edit
Etymology 4 Edit
Suffix Edit
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- (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Optionally marks the masculine singular perfective passive participle of strong verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
Alternative forms Edit
Etymology 5 Edit
Suffix Edit
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- (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Optionally marks the perfective passive participle of weak verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
- (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Optionally marks the perfective relative form of weak verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
- (Late Egyptian) Marks the perfective passive participle of mostly third-weak transitive verbs, following the stem.
- (Late Egyptian) Occasionally marks the perfective active participle of mostly third-weak transitive verbs, following the stem.
Alternative forms Edit
Etymology 6 Edit
Suffix Edit
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- (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Rarely marks the imperfective relative form of all verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
Alternative forms Edit
References Edit
- James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 328–329, 354.
- Junge, Friedrich (2005) Late Egyptian Grammar: An Introduction, second English edition, Oxford: Griffith Institute, page 66
Finnish Edit
Suffix Edit
-y
- Front vowel variant of -u.
Declension Edit
Inflection of -y (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation) | ||||
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nominative | -y | -yt | ||
genitive | -yn | -yjen | ||
partitive | -yä | -yjä | ||
illative | -yyn | -yihin | ||
singular | plural | |||
nominative | -y | -yt | ||
accusative | nom. | -y | -yt | |
gen. | -yn | |||
genitive | -yn | -yjen | ||
partitive | -yä | -yjä | ||
inessive | -yssä | -yissä | ||
elative | -ystä | -yistä | ||
illative | -yyn | -yihin | ||
adessive | -yllä | -yillä | ||
ablative | -yltä | -yiltä | ||
allative | -ylle | -yille | ||
essive | -ynä | -yinä | ||
translative | -yksi | -yiksi | ||
instructive | — | -yin | ||
abessive | -yttä | -yittä | ||
comitative | See the possessive forms below. |
Possessive forms of -y (type valo) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Inflection of -y (Kotus type 2/palvelu, no gradation) | ||||
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nominative | -y | -yt | ||
genitive | -yn | -yjen -yiden -yitten | ||
partitive | -yä | -yjä -yitä | ||
illative | -yyn | -yihin | ||
singular | plural | |||
nominative | -y | -yt | ||
accusative | nom. | -y | -yt | |
gen. | -yn | |||
genitive | -yn | -yjen -yiden -yitten | ||
partitive | -yä | -yjä -yitä | ||
inessive | -yssä | -yissä | ||
elative | -ystä | -yistä | ||
illative | -yyn | -yihin | ||
adessive | -yllä | -yillä | ||
ablative | -yltä | -yiltä | ||
allative | -ylle | -yille | ||
essive | -ynä | -yinä | ||
translative | -yksi | -yiksi | ||
instructive | — | -yin | ||
abessive | -yttä | -yittä | ||
comitative | See the possessive forms below. |
Possessive forms of -y (type palvelu) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Lower Sorbian Edit
Suffix Edit
-y
- Alternative form of -i (used after “hard” consonants).
Middle English Edit
Etymology 1 Edit
From Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic *-g, from Proto-Germanic *-gaz, from Proto-Indo-European *-kos. Doublet of -ik.
Alternative forms Edit
Pronunciation Edit
Suffix Edit
-y
- Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by being appended to a noun.
Derived terms Edit
Descendants Edit
References Edit
- “-i,, suf.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 20 June 2018.
- “-i(e, suf.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 20 June 2018.
Etymology 2 Edit
Suffix Edit
-y
- Alternative form of -yf
Etymology 3 Edit
Suffix Edit
-y
- Alternative form of -ie
Old Polish Edit
Etymology Edit
Derived from Proto-Slavic *-ъjь, the definite form of hard-stem adjectives. See *-ьjь.
Pronunciation Edit
Suffix Edit
-y
- Forms adjectives.
Derived terms Edit
Polish Edit
Etymology Edit
Inherited from Old Polish -y.
Pronunciation Edit
Suffix Edit
-y
- nominative plural ending of some masculine nouns.
- vocative plural ending of some masculine nouns.
- genitive singular ending of some feminine nouns.
- nominative plural ending of some feminine nouns.
- accusative plural ending of some feminine nouns.
- vocative plural ending of some feminine nouns.
- personal, animate, and inanimate masculine nominative singular ending of some adjectives.
- personal, animate, and inanimate masculine vocative singular ending of some adjectives.
- inanimate masculine accusative singular ending of some adjectives.
- personal masculine nominative plural ending of some adjectives.
- personal masculine vocative plural ending of some adjectives.
Derived terms Edit
Quechua Edit
Suffix Edit
-y
- Infinitive marker.
- mikhuy (“to eat”)
- Nominalizes verbs. The act of doing something. "-ing."
- pampachay (“pardon, remission”)
- Indicates first-person singular possessive.
- Conjugative suffix for the second-person imperative mood.
Scots Edit
Suffix Edit
-y
- Alternative form of -ie
References Edit
- “-y, suff.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.