EnglishEdit

Alternative formsEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Middle English -y, -i, from Old English -iġ (-y, -ic, suffix), 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.

SuffixEdit

-y

  1. Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives meaning “having the quality of”, either “involving the referent” or “analogous to it”.
    mess + ‎-y → ‎messy
    mouse + ‎-y → ‎mousy
    blue + ‎-y → ‎bluey
    clay + ‎-y → ‎clayey
    • 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.
  2. Added to verbs to form adjectives meaning "inclined to".
    run + ‎-y → ‎runny
    stick + ‎-y → ‎sticky
    fiddle + ‎-y → ‎fiddly
Usage notesEdit
  • 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 (sandcastlesandcastle-y). 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.
SynonymsEdit
  • (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
AntonymsEdit
  • (form “having quality of” adjectives): -less
TranslationsEdit

Note: translations of English words ending in -y do not necessarily end in the suffixes listed below.

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Etymology 2Edit

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 formsEdit

SuffixEdit

-y

  1. Forming diminutive nouns.
    granny, pinny, tummy
  2. Forming familiar names, pet names, nicknames and terms of endearment.
    Billy, Jonesy, Johnny, lovey
SynonymsEdit
TranslationsEdit

Note: translations of English words ending in -y do not necessarily end in the suffixes listed below.

Etymology 3Edit

From Middle English -y, -ie, -ee, -e, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French -ie and , 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.

SuffixEdit

-y

  1. Forming abstract nouns denoting a state, condition, or quality.
    modest + ‎-y → ‎modesty
    honest + ‎-y → ‎honesty
    -nym + ‎-y → ‎-nymy
    as in ‎toponym + ‎-y → ‎toponymy
    -logue + ‎-y → ‎-logy
    as in ‎analogue + ‎-y → ‎analogy
  2. Used in the name of some locations which end in -ia in Latin.
    Italy, Germany, Saxony, Hungary, Sicily, Lombardy, Tuscany, Albany, Brittany, Gascony, Burgundy, Picardy, Normandy, Romandy, Savoy, Muscovy, Tartary, Arcady, Thessaly, Troy, Turkey.
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit

Note: translations of English words ending in -y do not necessarily end in the suffixes listed below.

Derived termsEdit

AfarEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronunciationEdit

CliticEdit

-y

  1. Used to form an interrogative copulative sentence: is it?
    Qafár af macáy?What is the Afar language?

Etymology 2Edit

PronunciationEdit

CliticEdit

-y

  1. 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 notesEdit
  • When following a short vowel, -y lengthens that vowel:
    gaalá (camel) + ‎-y → ‎gaaláay (and the camels)

ReferencesEdit

  • 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

AsturianEdit

PronunciationEdit

PronounEdit

-y

  1. him, she, it (third-person singular indirect pronoun)
    Da-y pan
    Give him bread

Usage notesEdit

It is always spelled with the hyphen, unlike other pronouns in the language.

Related termsEdit

  • -yos, -ys (third-person plural indirect pronoun)

CzechEdit

SuffixEdit

-y

  1. -ly: from adjectives forms adverbs
    logický + ‎-y → ‎logicky

Derived termsEdit

Further readingEdit

  • -y in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017

EgyptianEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

SuffixEdit

ii
  1. (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Forms the plural imperative of verbs, particularly weak verbs.
  2. (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Optionally used to form the subjunctive of weak verbs.
Usage notesEdit

The plural imperative can also appear without this suffix, in a form identical to the singular imperative.

Etymology 2Edit

SuffixEdit

ii
  1. Forms agent nouns from verbs.

Etymology 3Edit

SuffixEdit

ii
  1. (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Optionally marks the masculine imperfective active participle, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
Alternative formsEdit

Etymology 4Edit

SuffixEdit

ii
  1. (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 formsEdit

Etymology 5Edit

SuffixEdit

ii
  1. (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Optionally marks the perfective passive participle of weak verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
  2. (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Optionally marks the perfective relative form of weak verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
  3. (Late Egyptian) Marks the perfective passive participle of mostly third-weak transitive verbs, following the stem.
  4. (Late Egyptian) Occasionally marks the perfective active participle of mostly third-weak transitive verbs, following the stem.
Alternative formsEdit

Etymology 6Edit

SuffixEdit

ii
  1. (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian) Rarely marks the imperfective relative form of all verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
Alternative formsEdit

ReferencesEdit

  • James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, 354 page 328–329, 354.
  • Junge, Friedrich (2005) Late Egyptian Grammar: An Introduction, second English edition, Oxford: Griffith Institute, page 66

FinnishEdit

SuffixEdit

-y

  1. Front vowel variant of -u.

DeclensionEdit

Inflection of -y (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)
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 -yineen
Possessive forms of -y (type valo)
possessor singular plural
1st person -yni -ymme
2nd person -ysi -ynne
3rd person -ynsä
Inflection of -y (Kotus type 2/palvelu, no gradation)
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 -yineen
Possessive forms of -y (type palvelu)
possessor singular plural
1st person -yni -ymme
2nd person -ysi -ynne
3rd person -ynsä

Lower SorbianEdit

SuffixEdit

-y

  1. Alternative form of -i (used after “hard” consonants).

Middle EnglishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic *-g, from Proto-Germanic *-gaz, from Proto-Indo-European *-kos. Doublet of -ik.

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

SuffixEdit

-y

  1. Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by being appended to a noun.
Derived termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
  • English: -y, -ie, -ey
  • Scots: -ie, -y
ReferencesEdit

Etymology 2Edit

SuffixEdit

-y

  1. Alternative form of -yf

Etymology 3Edit

SuffixEdit

-y

  1. Alternative form of -ie

PolishEdit

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /ɨ/
  • Rhymes:
  • Syllabification: y

SuffixEdit

-y

  1. nominative plural ending of some masculine nouns.
  2. vocative plural ending of some masculine nouns.
  3. genitive singular ending of some feminine nouns.
  4. nominative plural ending of some feminine nouns.
  5. accusative plural ending of some feminine nouns.
  6. vocative plural ending of some feminine nouns.
  7. personal, animate, and inanimate masculine nominative singular ending of some adjectives.
  8. personal, animate, and inanimate masculine vocative singular ending of some adjectives.
  9. inanimate masculine accusative singular ending of some adjectives.
  10. personal masculine nominative plural ending of some adjectives.
  11. personal masculine vocative plural ending of some adjectives.

Derived termsEdit

Further readingEdit

  • -y in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • -y in Polish dictionaries at PWN

QuechuaEdit

SuffixEdit

-y

  1. Infinitive marker.
    mikhuy (to eat)
  2. Nominalizes verbs. The act of doing something. "-ing."
    pampachay (pardon, remission)
  3. Indicates first-person singular possessive.
    mikhuna (food)mikhunay (my food)
  4. Conjugative suffix for the second-person imperative mood.
    Uyariway! ("(You) listen to me!")

ScotsEdit

SuffixEdit

-y

  1. Alternative form of -ie

ReferencesEdit