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Building Vocabulary: Common Suffixes

Author Creation:

Andrew Davis, November 2010.

Summary: Lists and defines common suffixes.

Learning Objectives: To list common suffixes and their definitions. To expand vocabulary. To

increase reading comprehension.

Suffixesprovidebasicstructureandmeaningtowords.Theyarecalledsuffixesbecauseoftheir

placementattheendofwords.Forexample,phobiaisthesuffixforxenophobia.

Theyare

commonly

derived

from

Greek

and

Latin

suffixes.

For

example,

the

suffix

phobia

is

derived

fromtheGreeksuffixphobosmeaningfearing.Learningandrecognizingthesecommonsuffixescan

helpyoudeciphermeaning.Ifyouwereunfamiliarwiththewordxenophobiabutknewthesuffix

phobia,youcouldthengathersomesortofmeaningfromthesuffixmeaning,fear.

Inmanycases,knowingthesuffixwillbeenoughtohelpyoudecipherthemeaningofawordina

sentence;inothercases,youllwanttousethedictionarytounderstandthewordfully.Ineither

instance,thisgivesapartialunderstandingofthemorecompletedefinition:Xenophobiaafearand

hatredofstrangersorforeigners(MerriamWebstersCollegiateDictionary,2007,p.1190).

Providedbelowisalistofcommonsuffixesthatyoucanremembertohelpexpandyourvocabularyand

increaseyourreadingcomprehension.

Suffix(partofspeechformed) Meaning Example

able(adjectives) capableof portable,legible

agog,agogue(nouns) leader demagogue,pedagogue

age(nouns) sum,total average,mileage

al (nouns,adjectives) pertainingto manical,logical

cide(nouns)

cidal(adjectives)

killing patricide,infanticide,herbicide.

suicide,suicidal

dom(nouns) state,rank,thatwhichbelongs

to

freedom,wisedom

fy(verbs) tomake magnify,petrify

ant,ent(nouns,adjectives) fullof eloquent,verdant

ia(nouns)

y(nouns,adjectives)

act,state amnesia,mania,democracy,

anarchy,juicy

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Suffix Meaning Example

ic,tic,ical,ac(adjectives) havingtodowith anthropomorphic,dramatic,

biblical,cardiac

ics(nouns) thingshavingtodowith optics,physics

ism(nouns) thebeliefin,practice,doctrine pacifism,terrorism,socialism,

communism

ist(nouns,adjectives) onewhobelievesin pacifist,terrorist,socialist,

communist

ize,

ise

(verbs)

to

make

harmonize,

revolutionize

ite(nouns) oneconnectedwith,adherent,

descendent

meteorite,cosmopolite

logy(noun) scienceorbranchof

knowledge

biology,geology,etymology,

cardiology

mony(noun) aresultingthing,condition,or

state

patrimony,ceremony

oid(adjectives,nouns) resembling,likeshaped asteroid,spheroid

or,er(nouns) onewhotakespartin doctor,actor,teacher,driver

phobia(nouns)

phobic(adjectives)

exaggeratedfear agoraphobia,claustrophobia,

hydrophobic,photophobia,

sis(nouns) act,state,conditionof analysis,synthesis

ward(adjectives,adverbs) inthedirectionof forward,homeward

Animportantthingtonoteaboutsuffixesisthattheydeterminethattheclassofthewordstheyare

attachedto.Forexample,ifyouaddthesuffixendingizetothenounharmony,yougetharmonize,

whichisaverb.Asuffixthatchangestheclassofthewordiscalledaderivationalsuffix.

Justnoticingasuffixlikeiseorizeallowsyoutodecifiersomeofthemeaning.Forexample,youare

abletodeteminethatthesuffixizeaddedtothewordharmonycreatesaverbthatmeanstomake

harmony.

Nowthatyourefamiliarwithcommonsuffixes,werecommendthatyoucontinuebyreadingthe

AcademicCenter

handouts

Building

Vocabulary:

Common

Root

Words

and

Building

Vocabulary:

CommonPrefixes.

Also,thehandoutsandUnderstandingDictionaryEntriesandUsingtheDictionary:WordOriginswill

helpyouinbuildingyourvocabularybyshowingyouhowtouseadictionaryandhowtouseawords

origintodevelopabasicunderstandingofaword.