List of English Suffixes
A suffix is an affix that is added to the end of a word that conditions its usage or meaning. The opposite of suffix is prefix.
Suffix |
General Meaning |
Example |
|---|---|---|
| -agogy | leading | pedagogy , demagogy |
| -archy | rule, leadership | gynarchy , anarchy |
| -cele, -coele, -coel | body cavity | mucocoel or mucocoele |
| -cele | tumor, hernia | hydatidocele |
| -centesis | puncturing | amniocentesis , rachicentesis |
| -chondrion | small grainlike structure | mitochondrion |
| -cide | murder, killing agent | suicide , vespacide, regicide |
| -cracy | rule, government | kakistocracy , democracy , androcracy |
| -cycle | circle, cycle, unit of radio frequency | epicycle , hydrocycle |
| -ectasia, -ectasis | stretching out | brochiectasis , telangiectasia |
| -ectomy | surgical removal | vasectomy |
| -emesis | vomiting | hematemesis , hyperemesis |
| -emia | blood condition | leukemia , anaemia |
| -enchyma | cellular tissue | mesenchyma , karyenchyma |
| -ess | female | actress , waitress , stewardess |
| -esthesis, -esthesia | sensation, feeling | synesthesia, kinesthesis |
| -fugal | fuge, driving or travelling away from, expelling | centrifugal |
| -ful | full of, having some or much | hopeful , useful |
| -hedron | geometric solid | icosahedron , tetrahedron |
| -holic | love , addiction | alcoholic |
| -ic | ||
| -id | skin rash | syphilid |
| -ism | doctrine, act, practice, condition | Protestantism , alcoholism , Buddhism , southernism |
| -ist | person | dentist |
| -itis | disease, inflammation | hepatitis , gingivitis |
| -itude | attitude , certitude | |
| -ium | metallic element (exception: helium) | sodium , Calcium |
| -kinesis | movement (ability thereof) | telekinesis |
| -less | lack of | homeless , useless |
| -ly | -like, having the attributes of; In modern English, primarily changes adjectives to adverbs; also changes some nouns to adjectives and some (past-tense) verbs to adverbs | quick(adj) > quickly(adv), state(n) > stately(adj), abashed(v) > abashedly(adv) |
| -mania | an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action | kleptomania , megalomania , mythomania |
| -ography or -ogram | writing, description | stenography , geography , ideogram |
| -oid | resembling | solenoid , hominoid |
| -ology | study, science | planetology , thyroidology , phthisiology |
| -omics | area of biology | proteomics |
| -onomy | knowledge of | astronomy |
| -onym | name, word | antonym , consonym , heteronym |
| -osis | process, action | mitosis , osmosis |
| -osis | formation | ostosis |
| -osis | diseased condition | psychosis |
| -phagy, -phagia | eating | monophagy |
| -philia | attraction | hemophilia |
| -phobia | fear | acrophobia , mysophobia |
| -phone | sound, audio | telephone , homophone |
| -science | knowing | omniscience |
| -scope | from Greek skopos , view; instrument for viewing and observing spaces | microscope , telescope |
| -ship | circle, state of being | friendship , relationship |
| -stan | land, country | Afghanistan |
| -tropism | to turn | phototropism |
| -us | inflammation | ulcus (ulcer) |
| -ward | direction | southward |
| -wise | direction | clockwise |