Suffix
A suffix is is a bound morpheme (or affix) which attaches at the righthand side of a base, i.e. which follows it.
Comments
- “The term “affix”, which was used in §§24 and 28, is grammatical: it subsumes bound forms of certain kinds. But the apparently parallel terms “prefix”, "suffix”, “infix” are not grammatical; they refer, rather to positional classes of the morphs which represent bound forms.” (Hockett 1958:286)
Example
the English morpheme -ness is a suffix, since it attaches to the right of adjectives (productiveness).
Synonyms
- infix (in African linguistics)
- ending (used especially for inflectional suffxes)
- desinence (used especially for inflectional suffxes)
Origin
The OED's first attestation is from 1778. The term is derived from Latin suffīgere ‘attach’.
Reference
- Hockett, Charles. 1958. A course in modern linguistics. New York: Macmillan.
Other languages
- German Suffix (de)
- Russian суффикс
- Czech přípona, sufix
- Spanish sufijo
Links
Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics
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