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WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024-ous, suffix. - -ous is attached to roots to form adjectives with the meaning "possessing, full of (a given quality)'':glory + -ous → glorious; covet + -ous → covetous;nerve + -ous → nervous.
- -ous is also attached to roots to form adjectives referring to the names of chemical elements:stannous chloride, SnCl2.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024-ous, - a suffix forming adjectives that have the general sense "possessing, full of '' a given quality (covetous;
glorious;
nervous;
wondrous);
-ous and its variant -ious have often been used to Anglicize Latin adjectives with terminations that cannot be directly adapted into English (atrocious;
contiguous;
garrulous;
obvious;
stupendous). As an adjective-forming suffix of neutral value, it regularly Anglicizes Greek and Latin adjectives derived without suffix from nouns and verbs;
many such formations are productive combining forms in English, sometimes with a corresponding nominal combining form that has no suffix;
cf.-fer, -ferous;
-phore, -phorous;
-pter, -pterous;
-vore, -vorous. - a suffix forming adjectival correspondents to the names of chemical elements;
specialized, in opposition to like adjectives ending in -ic, to mean the lower of two possible valences (stannous chloride, SnCl2, and stannic chloride SnCl4).
- Latin -ōsus; a doublet of -ose1
- Anglo-French, Old French
- Middle English
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: -ous suffix forming adjectives - having, full of, or characterized by: dangerous, spacious, languorous
- (in chemistry) indicating that an element is chemically combined in the lower of two possible valency states: ferrous, stannous
Compare -ic
Etymology: from Old French, from Latin -ōsus or -us, Greek -os, adj suffixes -ic, suffix. - -ic is attached to nouns to form adjectives with the meaning "of or relating to:''metal + -ic → metallic;poet + -ic → poetic.This suffix is also attached to nouns to form adjectives with the meaning "having some characteristics of;
in the style of:'' ballet + -ic → balletic;
sophomore + -ic → sophomoric;
Byron + -ic → Byronic (= in the style of Byron).
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024-ic, - a suffix forming adjectives from other parts of speech, occurring originally in Greek and Latin loanwords (metallic;
poetic;
archaic;
public) and, on this model, used as an adjective-forming suffix with the particular senses "having some characteristics of '' (opposed to the simple attributive use of the base noun) (balletic;
sophomoric);
"in the style of '' (Byronic;
Miltonic);
"pertaining to a family of peoples or languages'' (Finnic;
Semitic;
Turkic). - [Chem.]a suffix, specialized in opposition to -ous, used to show the higher of two valences:ferric chloride.
- a noun suffix occurring chiefly in loanwords from Greek, where such words were originally adjectival (critic;
magic;
music).
- Latin -icus
- French
- Latin -icus; in many words representing the cognate Greek -ikos (directly or through Latin); in some words replacing -ique
- Middle English -ic, -ik
IC, - Grammarpl. ICs. See immediate constituent.
- Electronicsintegrated circuit.
- intensive care.
I.C., - ReligionJesus Christ.
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