1619
in a shop) 2 usually derog someone who likes to spread or encourage the stated unpleasant thing: the rumourmongers (=people who spread perhaps untrue stories about other people) | a warmonger
-most /məʊst/ (in adjectives) nearest to ——; most towards ——: the northernmost town in Sweden (=the town that is furthest to the north) | the topmost branches of the tree
-nd (forms written ORDINAL numbers with 2): the 2nd (=second) of March | her 22nd birthday
-ness /nəs/ (in nouns) the condition, quality, or degree of being ——: loudness | sadness | warm-heartedness | the many kindnesses you've done me
-nik /nɪk/ informal (in nouns) a person who is connected with or keen on ——: a computernik (=someone who works with or is very keen on computers) | a peacenik (=someone who supports peace)
-ocracy /ɒkrəsi|ɑː-/ also -cracy — (in nouns) 1 government by the stated (sort of) people or according to the stated principle: democracy (=government by the people) | mobocracy 2 a society or country governed in this way: the Western democracies (=countries governed by their people) | a meritocracy (=governed by the people with the most ability) 3 the usually powerful social class made up of ——s: the aristocracy (=people with noble titles) | (AustrE) the squattocracy (=rich farmers)
-ocrat /ɒkræt/ also -crat — (in nouns) 1 a believer in the stated principle of government: a democrat (=someone who believes in government by the people) 2 a member of a usually powerful or governing social class or group: a technocrat (=a scientist who controls organizations etc) —ocratically (in adverbs)
-oid /ɔɪd/ especially tech (in adjectives) like ——; in the form of ——: humanoid creatures (=similar to humans) | ovoid (=egg-shaped)
-ologist /ɒlədɪst|ɑː-/ also -logist — (in nouns) a person who studies or specializes in the stated branch of science: a biologist
-ology /ɒlədʒi|ɑː-/ also -logy — (in nouns) 1 the scientific study of ——: geology (=the study of rocks and the Earth) | climatology (=the study of CLIMATE) | Egyptology (=the study of ancient Egypt) | (infml) futurology (=the practice of trying to say how the future will develop) 2 qualities relating to the stated science: The geology of north Devon is particularly interesting. (=it has interesting rocks etc) —ologically /-kli/ (in adverbs): geologically interesting
-or /ɔːr/ (in nouns) (the form used for -ER in certain words): an actor (=someone who acts) | an inventor
-ory¹ /əri|ˌɔːri, ɔːri/ (in nouns) a place or thing used for ——ing: an observatory (=where people look at things, especially the stars) | a directory (=book giving lists of information)
-ory² (in adjectives) that ——s: an explanatory note (=that gives an explanation) | a congratulatory telegram (=that CONGRATULATES)
-osis /əʊsɪs/ plural -oses (in nouns) 1 tech a diseased condition: silicosis (=a lung disease) | neuroses (=disorders of the mind) 2 a condition or process: a metamorphosis (=change from one state to another) —otic /ɒtɪk|ɑː-/ (in adjectives): neurotic | hypnotic —otically /-kli/ (in adverbs)
-ous /əs/ (in adjectives) causing or having ——: dangerous (=full of danger) | spacious (=with much space)
-phile /faɪl/ also -phil /fɪl/ — (in nouns) a person who likes ——: a bibliophile (=someone who likes books) | an Anglophile (=someone who likes England or Britain)
-philia /fɪliə/ (in nouns) 1 a liking for ——: Francophilia (=a liking for France) 2 tech a diseased or unhealthy tendency towards or liking for ——: haemophilia (=a tendency to bleed) | necrophilia (=a sexual attraction to dead bodies)
-philiac /fɪliæk/ tech (in nouns) a person suffering from ——PHILIA (2): a necrophiliac
-phobe /fəʊb/ (in nouns) a person who dislikes or hates ——: an Anglophobe (=someone who hates England or Britain) | a xenophobe (=someone who hates foreigners)
-phobia /fəʊbiə/ (in nouns) 1 a dislike or hatred of ——: Anglophobia (=dislike of England or Britain) 2 tech a diseased or unhealthy dislike or fear of ——: claustrophobia (=fear of being in a small enclosed space) | hydrophobia (=fear of water)
-phobic /fəʊbɪk/ tech (in adjectives and nouns) (of or being) a person suffering from ——PHOBIA (2): He's (a) claustrophobic.
—phobically /-kli/ (in adverbs)
-phone /fəʊn/ 1 (in nouns) an apparatus connected with sound and/or hearing, especially a musical instrument: earphones (=for listening to a radio etc) | a saxophone 2 tech (in adjectives and nouns) (of or being) a person who speaks the stated language: Francophone nations (=where French is spoken)
-proof /pruːf/ 1 (in adjectives) treated or made so as not be harmed by ——s or so as to give protection against ——s: a bulletproof car | an ovenproof dish (=that cannot be harmed by heat) 2 (in verbs) to treat or make in this way: to soundproof a room (=so that sound cannot get into or out of it)
-rd (forms written ORDINAL numbers with 3): the 3rd (=third) of June | his 53rd birthday
-ridden /rɪdn/ (in adjectives) 1 suffering from the effect of too much ——: her guilt-ridden dreams (=she was feeling very guilty) 2 too full of ——s: mosquito-ridden swamps
-ry /ri/ (in nouns) -ERY: his sheer wizardry (=magical skill)
-s /z, s/ 1 (forms the plural of nouns): a cat and two dogs 2 (forms the third person singular of the present tense of most verbs): he plays | she sits 3 especially AmE (in adverbs) during (the) ——: Do you work on Sundays? (=regularly each Sunday) | Summers we go to the seaside.
USAGE When -s, -'s, and -s' are added to the end of a word (dogs, comes, John's) they have the sound /z/ except a after words ending with the sounds /p, t, k, f, θ/. Here they are pronounced /s/ as in cats /kæts/. b after words ending with the sounds /s, z, ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ/. Here -s is added when the word ends in -e (roses) and -es when it does not (pushes). After these words, both -s and -es are pronounced /ɪz/: roses /'rəʊzɪz/; pushes /'pʊʃz/. The possessive ending -'s has the same sound as -s, but is never spelt -es. Compare churches (plural), church's (possessive).
-'s 1 (forms the possessive case of singular nouns, and of plural nouns that do not end in -s): my sister's husband | Mary's generosity | yesterday's lesson | the children's bedroom | the man in the corner's coat (=the coat belonging to the man in the corner) 2 BrE the shop or home of ——: I bought it at the baker's. (=at the baker's shop) | I met him at Mary's. (=at Mary's house) —see -s (USAGE)
-s' (forms the possessive case of plural nouns): the girls' dresses (=the dresses belonging to the girls) —see -s (USAGE)
-scape /skeɪp/ (in nouns) a wide view of the stated area, as in a picture: the impressive cityscape of New York | some old Dutch seascapes (=pictures of the sea)
-ship /ʃɪp/ (in nouns) 1 a the position of being a ——: Full membership (=being a full member) of the club costs $35. | She was offered the professorship. (=the job of PROFESSOR) b the time during which this lasts: their long friendship (=they were friends for a long time) | during his premiership 2 the art or skill of a ——: her peerless musicianship (=skill in performing or judging music) | a work of great scholarship —see also -MANSHIP 3 the whole group of ——s: a magazine with a readership of 9000 (=with 9000 readers) | The whole membership of the club is/are coming to the meeting. 4 (forms part of certain titles): your ladyship
-smith /smɪθ/ (in nouns) a maker of ——s: a gunsmith (=someone who makes guns) | (fig.) a wordsmith (=someone who works with words, e.g. a JOURNALIST) —see also SMITH
-some¹ /sʌm/ (in adjectives) 1 causing or producing ——: a troublesome boy (=who causes trouble) 2 liking to ——: a quarrelsome woman (=who likes to quarrel) | frolicsome 3 able to be ——ed; that one would like to ——: a cuddlesome baby (=that one would like to hold in one's arms)
-some² (in nouns) a group of the stated number, especially of players: a golf foursome (=four people playing GOLF together)
-speak /soʊk/ often derog (in nouns) the special language, especially slang words, used in the stated business or