1618
patterns give different meanings. Compare: a 'sleeping car (=a special railway carriage where people can sleep) and a sleeping 'dog (=a dog which is sleeping): a 'singing bird (=a special kind of bird which can sing) and a singing 'bird (=a bird which is singing at this moment).
-ion /ən/ (in nouns) the act, state, or result of ——ing: the completion (=completing) of the task | his election (=he was elected) to the post | several volcanic eruptions
-ise /aiz/ especially BrE (in verbs) -IZE ——isation (in nouns)
-ish /ɪʃ/ 1 (in nouns and adjectives) (the people or language) belonging to the stated country or place: Are the British (=people from Britain) unfriendly? | to speak Turkish (=the language of Turkey) | She's Swedish. (=from Sweden) | Spanish food (=from Spain) 2 often derog (in adjectives) typical of a ——; like a ——: foolish behaviour (=typical of a fool) | Don't be so childish! (=don't behave in a way unsuitable to an adult.) —compare CHILDLIKE, SNOBBISH, SELFISH 3 (in adjectives) to some degree ——; rather ——; quite ——: youngish (=not very young, but not old either) | tallish | reddish hair 4 infml (in adjectives) about the stated number; APPROXIMATELY: Come at eightish. (=at about 8 o'clock) | He's fortyish. (=about 40 years old)
-ism /ɪzəm/ (in nouns) 1 (a movement or religion based on) the stated principle or the teachings of ——: socialism | Buddhism 2 an act or the practice or process of ——ing or of being ——: his criticism of my work (=he CRITICIZES it) | her witticisms (=funny or WITTY remarks) 3 the state or quality of being (a) ——: heroism (=being a HERO; bravery) | magnetism (=being MAGNETIC) 4 illness caused by too much ——: alcoholism 5 the practice of making unfair differences between people because of ——: sexism (=making unfair differences between men and women) | racism | heightism (=against people who are very tall or short)
-ist /ɪst/ 1 (in nouns and adjectives) (a follower) of the stated religion or set of principles or ideas: a Buddhist | a Scottish Nationalist | her socialist views | He's very rightist (=supports the political RIGHT WING (1)) —compare -ITE (1) 2 (in nouns) someone who studies, produces, plays, or operates (a) ——: a linguist (=someone who studies or learns languages) | a novelist (=someone who writes NOVELS) | a guitarist (=someone who plays the GUITAR) | a machinist (=someone who operates a machine) —see also -OLOGIST 3 (in nouns and adjectives) (someone) making unfair differences between people because of ——: a very sexist remark (=making unfair differences between men and women)
-ite /aɪt/ (in nouns and adjectives) 1 sometimes derog (a follower or supporter) of the stated movement or person: a group of Trotskyites (=followers of Trotsky's political ideas) | the Pre-Raphaelites | his Reaganite opinions —compare -IST (1) 2 (someone) belonging to the stated place or tribe: a Brooklynite (=someone from Brooklyn) | the Israelites in the Bible
-itis /aɪtɪs/ (in [U] nouns) 1 a diseased or infected condition of the ——: tonsillitis (=infection of the TONSILS) 2 humor the condition of having too much of or being too keen on ——: televisionitis (=watching too much television)
-itude /ɪtju:d||tu:d/ also -tude - often pomp (in nouns) the state or degree of being ——: certitude (=being certain) | exactitude
-ity /ɪti/ also -ty — (in nouns) the quality or an example of being ——: with great regularity (=regularly) | such stupidities (=stupid actions or remarks)
-ive /ɪv/ (in nouns and adjectives) someone or something that ——s or can ——: an explosive (=substance that can explode) | a detective (=someone who tries to discover facts about crimes) | the adoptive parents (=who ADOPT a child)
-ize also -ise especially BrE — /aɪz/ (in verbs) 1 to cause to be (more) ——; make ——: to modernize our procedures (=make them (more) modern) | Americanized spelling (=spelling changed into the American system from another system) | privatize (=put back into private ownership) 2 to become (a) ——: The liquid crystallized. (=turned into CRYSTALS) 3 sometimes derog to speak in the stated way: to soliloquize (=speak a SOLILOQUY, to oneself) | to sermonize (=speak solemnly, as if in a SERMON) 4 to put into the stated place: to hospitalize a patient ——ization (in nouns): (a) civilization
USAGE 1 -ize is very often used to make new [T] verbs from nouns and adjectives, such as containerize (=pack goods in large containers), hospitalize, and finalize. Some people do not approve of -ize being used so much in this way. 2 the form -ise is commoner in British English than American English. But when it is joined onto a word part which is not actually a word, as in surprise (surpr- is not a word), -ise is usually the only spelling in American English as well as in British English. The following words must be spelt with -ise: advertise, advise, chastise, circumcise, comprise, compromise, despise, devise, disguise, exercise, excise, improvise, incise, merchandise, revise, supervise, surmise, surprise.
-kin /kɪn/ also -kins /kɪnz/ — infml, old-fash or humor (in nouns) (used especially to children) a small and usually charming ——: a lambkin | a little babykins
-latry /lətri/ tech, often derog (in [U] nouns) worship of ——: Mariolatry (=worship of the Virgin Mary)
-led /led/ (in adjectives) having the stated things as the most important or effective condition, influence etc: export-led growth
-less /ləs/ (in adjectives) 1 without (a) ——: a childless couple (=who have no children) | It's quite harmless (=will not harm you) | He was hatless. (=wore no hat) | endless complaints (=that never end) 2 that never ——s or cannot be ——ed: a tireless helper (=who never gets tired) | on countless occasions (=too many to be counted)
-let /lɪt/ (in nouns) 1 a small kind of ——: a booklet (=small usually paper-covered book) | a piglet (=young pig) 2 a band worn on the stated part of the body: an anklet (=worn on the ankle)
-like /laɪk/ (in adjectives) like, typical of, or suitable to a ——: a jelly-like substance | childlike simplicity | ladylike behaviour
-ling /lɪŋ/ especially old use (in nouns) a small, young, or unimportant ——: a duckling (=young duck) | minor Prussian princelings (=unimportant princes)
-lived /lɪvd/ (in adjectives) lasting or living the stated length of time: Her enthusiasm was short-lived. (=did not last long) | to come from a long-lived family
-logist /lɒdʒɪst/ (in nouns) -OLOGIST: genealogist
-logue also -log AmE — /lɒg||lɒg, la:g/ (in nouns) something spoken; talk: a monologue (=speech by one person)
-logy /lɒdʒi/ (in nouns) -OLOGY: genealogy
-ly /li/ 1 (in adverbs) in the stated way: He did it very cleverly (=in a clever way) | slowly 2 (in adverbs) from the stated point of view: Politically (speaking) (=from a political point of view) it was a rather unwise remark. | a financially sound proposal 3 (in adjectives and adverbs) (happening) at regular periods of a ——: an hourly check (=done every hour) | They visit monthly. (=once a month) 4 (in adjectives) like a —— in manner, nature, or appearance: with queenly grace | a motherly woman (showing the love, kindness etc of a mother)
-manship /mənʃɪp/ (in [U] nouns) the art or skill of a person of the stated type: seamanship (=sailing skill) | statesmanship | horsemanship (=skill at horseriding)
-ment /mənt/ (in nouns) 1 the act, cause, means, or result of ——ing: the need for strong government (=strong governing) | the replacement (=replacing) of obsolete machinery | some interesting new developments 2 the condition of being ——ed: his confinement (=being shut up) in prison ——mental (in adjectives): governmental
-meter /mi:tə˚, mɪtə˚/ (in nouns) an instrument for measuring: an altimeter (=for measuring the height at which an aircraft is flying)
-metre BrE also -meter AmE — /mi:tə˚, mtə˚/ (in nouns) the stated part of a metre or a number of metres: a millimetre
-monger /mʌŋgə˚||mɑ:ŋ-, mʌŋ-/ (in nouns) 1 someone who sells ——: a fishmonger (=someone who sells fish, especially)