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-y¹ or -ey

suff.

1. Characterized by; consisting of: clayey.

a. Like: summery.

b. To some degree; somewhat; rather: chilly.

3. Tending toward; inclined toward: sleepy.

[Middle English, from Old English -ig.]

-y²

suff.

1. Condition; state; quality: jealousy.

a. Activity: cookery.

b. Instance of a specified action: entreaty.

a. Place for an activity: cannery.

b. Result or product of an activity: laundry.

4. Collection; body; group: soldiery.

[Middle English -ie, from Old French, from Latin -ia. Sense 2b, ultimately from Latin -ium.]

-y³ or -ie

suff.

1. Small one: doggy.

2. Dear one: sweetie.

3. One having to do with or characterized by: townie.

[Middle English -ie, -y.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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