-e

See also: -ę and Appendix:Variations of "e"

Languages (44)

English

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Afrikaans • Albanian • Central Franconian • Czech • Danish • Dutch • Esperanto • Estonian • Finnish • French • Garo • German • Hungarian • Ido • Ingrian • Irish • Italian • Japanese • Latin • Latvian • Lower Sorbian • Middle Dutch • Middle English • Mokilese • Murui Huitoto • Namuyi • Ojibwe • Old English • Old French • Old Irish • Old Polish • Polish • Portuguese • Romani • Romanian • Saterland Frisian • Serbo-Croatian • Spanish • Swahili • Swedish • Turkish • Tzotzil • Ye'kwana

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Page categories

English

Etymology

From archaic forms ending in e, from Middle English -e, from the coalescence of multiple various endings from Old English.

Pronunciation

Silent.

For humorous effect, sometimes pronounced as if reading the name of the letter e: IPA^(key): /-i/.

Suffix

-e

1. Used for archaizing.
   • 1993, “10-13. Kenosha”, in Wisconsin Annual Events, page 38:

     YE OLDE ENGLISHE CHRISTMASSE FEASTE: Nine course authentic Renaissance festival banquet.

   • 1996, Jon Orwant, Perl 5 Interactive Course, →ISBN, page 679:

     Ye Olde Webbe page / Whither thou goest, there thou be.

   • 1999 June 14, Tina Clarke, “Re: How to make LINKS open in new Browser Window?”, in microsoft.public.frontpage.client (Usenet), message-ID <7k1f5j$607$1@news5.svr.pol.co.uk>:

     Go on tell what prob your having at the mo with ye olde computere! You don't get this crusty without one...do u?

   • 2002, Bruce Balfour, The Forge of Mars, Berkeley Publishing Group, →ISBN:

     “Yes. It’s an English pub called Ye Olde Meate Markete. […]”

Usage notes

Usually all words of the noun phrase are suffixed, unless the word already ends in e (e.g. smalle quainte towne for "small quaint town"). Commonly used with ye olde and other archaic terms. The consonant at the end of the word is often doubled if it is preceded by a historically short vowel, according to the rules of English spelling (e.g. hogge for "hog", bidde for "bid", etc.).

Derived terms

• Englishe
• olde
• shoppe

See also

• -eth

Afrikaans

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/

Etymology 1

From Dutch -en.

Suffix

-e

1. The plural ending of many nouns.

Usage notes

• As a rule of thumb, -e is used in nouns with final stress and -s otherwise. However, a certain number of inherited nouns deviate (in either direction) and newer loanwords often take -s even after final stress. Small irregular classes are plurals in -ere, -ers, and -ens.
• A rather large number of plurals in -e show phonetic pecularities such as the following:
  • A short stem vowel may be lengthened: ‎skip (“ship”) + ‎-e → ‎skepe.
  • Final -d- may be replaced with -i-: ‎pad (“path”) + ‎-e → ‎paaie.
  • Final -g- may be lost: ‎dag (“day”) + ‎-e → ‎dae.
  • An underlying final -t- may resurface: ‎nag (“night”) + ‎-e → ‎nagte.

Etymology 2

From Dutch -e.

Suffix

-e

1. The attributive ending of many adjectives.

Usage notes

• As a rule of thumb, -e is used in polysyllabic adjectives except those ending in -er (including comparatives) and in monosyllabic adjectives that end in -f, -d, -s, -g, while others remain unchanged. However, there are various exceptions to this distribution. Several adjectives also allow both forms, sometimes with a tendency towards semantic distinction. For example, one usually says ’n ryk man (“a rich man”, literally), but ’n ryke kultuur (“a rich culture”, figuratively).
• All adjectives, including normally uninflected ones, do take -e when they are used independently, that is without the referent noun following: ’n arm land en ’n ryke (“a poor country and a rich one”). In such cases, the adjective also inflects for number: arm lande en rykes (“poor countries and rich ones”).
• In the formation of the attributive form, irregularities similar to those described in etymology 1 above may occur, with the exception that vowel lengthening is not found in adjectives.

Albanian

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *-jā, from Proto-Indo-European *-ih₂ ~ *-yéh₂s.

Suffix

-e (definite -ja, plural -e)

1. forms the feminine forms for many adjectives
2. forms feminine equivalents of nouns

   Synonyms: -éshë, -ónjë

   ‎mik (“male friend”) + ‎-e → ‎mike (“female friend”)

   ‎gjysh (“grandfather”) + ‎-e → ‎gjyshe (“grandmother”)

Derived terms

Albanian terms suffixed with -e

Central Franconian

Alternative forms

• -en (see usage notes below)

Etymology

From Middle High German -en, from a merger of various Old High German suffixes. The use for the masculine nominative of the adjective (except in south-eastern dialects) goes back to generalisation of the accusative form. The use for the first-person singular goes back to generalisation of Old High German -ōm, -ēm in weak classes II and III, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-mi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/

Suffix

-e

1. A common noun plural ending, especially in feminines.
2. A common adjectival declension ending, especially in the masculine nominative/accusative and the weak dative of all genders.
3. A common conjugation ending, especially in the infinitive, first-person singular and plural, and third-person plural.

Usage notes

Use of the forms -e and -en

• In Ripuarian and eastern Moselle Franconian, the basic form of the suffix is -e. It becomes -en before vowel-initial words, especially within the noun or verb phrase (thus similarly to French liaison). Optionally the same may also occur before h, d, t, z.
• In western Moselle Franconian, the basic form of the suffix is -en, but the final -n is lost when followed by a consonant other than h, d, t, z – a process called Eifeler Regel and also active in Luxembourgish.
• These two systems are ultimately very similar, the only major difference being the form the suffix takes in pausa, i.e. in isolation or before a speech pause. For simplicity, therefore, Wiktionary's coverage of Central Franconian uses the e-form as general lemma form for all dialects. The -n must then be added depending on the phonetic environment and the dialect in question.

Use in the feminine and plural of adjectives

• The nominative/accusative of masculine adjectives always takes the suffix -e, whereas the neuter never does: ene jode Mann (“a good man”), e deck Stöck (“a thick piece”). In the feminine and plural, however, there is variation. The traditional rule in Kölsch is that adjectives take -e only after voiceless stems: en decke Zupp (“a thick soup”), but en jot Zupp (“a good soup”) because the stem in the latter case is jod-. Exceptionally, the suffix -ig becomes -ije.
• Today this rule is no longer followed strictly and one may hear -e after all obstruents, be they voiceless or voiced (thus optionally en jode Zupp). We therefore give both forms, but order them according to the traditional rule. After vowels and sonorants, true native speakers still avoid the e-suffix in the feminine and plural reliably enough that we may disregard it.
• On the other hand, more southern dialects tend to drop -e even after voiceless obstruents. When a lemma is restricted to such a dialect, it is of course possible to reverse the order or strike the e-form entirely.

Czech

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Czech -ě.

Suffix

-e (adverb-forming suffix)

1. used to form adverbs from adjectives

   ‎jednoduchý (“simple”) + ‎-e → ‎jednoduše (“simply”)

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Czech -ě, from Proto-Slavic *-ę.

Suffix

-e n (noun-forming suffix)

1. forms diminutive nouns, usually terms for young animals

   ‎pták + ‎-e → ‎ptáče

   ‎zvěř + ‎-e → ‎zvíře

Etymology 3

Inherited from Old Czech -ě, from Proto-Slavic *-ě.

Suffix

-e

1. desinence used to form dative singular and locative singular of some feminine nouns

   ‎sestra (“sister”) + ‎-e → ‎sestře

2. desinence used to form genitive singular, nominative plural, accusative plural and vocative plural of some feminine nouns

   ‎kostrč (“tailbone”) + ‎-e → ‎kostrče

3. desinence used to form vocative singular of some masculine animate nouns

   ‎pan (“Mr, Sir”) + ‎-e → ‎pane

4. desinence used to form genitive singular, accusative singular and accusative plural of some masculine animate nouns

   ‎muž (“man”) + ‎-e → ‎muže

5. desinence used to form vocative singular and locative singular of some masculine inanimate nouns

   ‎les (“forest”) + ‎-e → ‎lese

6. desinence used to form genitive singular, nominative plural, accusative plural and vocative plural of some masculine inanimate nouns

   ‎stroj (“machine”) + ‎-e → ‎stroje

See also

• -ě
• -ně
• -y

Further reading

• -e/-ě in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017

Danish

Suffix

-e

1. Marks the infinitive of many or most verbs, and is usually appended to borrowed verbs.
2. Marks the singular/definite of adjectives.
3. Marks the plural of some nouns.

Dutch

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French -e.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/

Suffix

-e

2. Used to form the female equivalent of occupations or other identifying traits.

   Synonyms: -es, -in

   ‎agent (“police officer”) + ‎-e → ‎agente (“female police officer”)

Derived terms

Dutch terms suffixed with -e (female)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /də/, /stə/ (like the ordinal written in full)

Suffix

-e

1. Placed after a number written in digits, to form its corresponding ordinal number.

   2e = tweede

   8e = achtste

   Synonyms: -de, -ste

Usage notes

The e is sometimes written in superscript, like in French (2^e, 8^e), but this is discouraged by the Dutch Language Union.

Etymology 3

From various suffixes of the Middle Dutch [Term?] adjective inflection.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/

Suffix

-e

1. Used to create the inflected form of an adjective, which is used after a definite determiner, or before masculine, feminine, and plural nouns in general.

Usage notes

See Appendix:Dutch parts of speech

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/

Suffix

-e m or f

2. Used to form nouns from adjectives, denoting a person that possesses the quality of the adjective.

   ‎volwassen (“adult”) + ‎-e → ‎volwassene (“an adult”)

-e f

1. Attached to geographical adjectives to indicate a female inhabitant.

   ‎Amerikaans (“American”) + ‎-e → ‎Amerikaanse (“a female American”)

Derived terms

Dutch terms suffixed with -e (nominalization)

Etymology 5

From Middle Dutch -e, from Old Dutch -i, from Proto-Germanic *-į̄.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/

Suffix

-e f

1. (archaic, rare) Used to form abstract nouns from adjectives; the nouns express the quality of the adjective.

   Synonyms: -te, -heid

   ‎koud (“cold”) + ‎-e → ‎koude (“the cold”)

Etymology 6

From Middle Dutch -e, the ending of the first and third person singular subjunctive.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/

Suffix

-e

1. (archaic) Used to form the singular subjunctive of a verb.

Esperanto

Etymology

From the Latin and Italian adverbial suffix -e (as in bene (“well”)), perhaps reinforced by Russian -е (-e) and Polish -e.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Suffix

-e

1. -ly; used to form adverbs

   ‎bona (“good”) + ‎-e → ‎bone (“well”)

   ‎unu (“one”) + ‎-e → ‎unue (“firstly”)

2. the ending for correlatives of place

Derived terms

correlatives

• ĉie (“everywhere”)
• ie (“somewhere”)
• kie (“where”)
• nenie (“nowhere”)
• tie (“there”)

 

Estonian

Etymology 1

From Proto-Finnic *-ëk and Proto-Finnic *-ëh. Cognate to Finnish -e.

Suffix

-e (genitive -e, partitive -et)

1. Derives nouns from verbs.

   ‎katma (“to cover”) + ‎-e → ‎kate (“cover”)

   ‎astuma (“to step”) + ‎-e → ‎aste (“a step”)

   ‎võtma (“to take”) + ‎-e → ‎võte (“trick, mode, way”)

   ‎mõtlema (“to think”) + ‎-e → ‎mõte (“thought”)

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Suffix

-e (genitive -me, partitive -et)

1. Derives nouns from verbs.

   ‎liikuma (“to move”) + ‎-e → ‎liige (“member”)

   ‎astuma (“to step”) + ‎-e → ‎aste (“step, grade”)

   ‎kastma (“to dip”) + ‎-e → ‎kaste (“sauce”)

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Suffix

-e (genitive -eda, partitive -edat)

1. Derives adjectives.

   ‎lamama (“to lay down”) + ‎-e → ‎lame (“flat”)

   ‎krõbisema (“to crunch”) + ‎-e → ‎krõbe (“crunchy”)

   ‎tobu (“fool”) + ‎-e → ‎tobe (“silly, dumb”)

Declension

Declension of -e (ÕS type 2/õpik, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		-e	-edad
accusative	nom.
	gen.	-eda
genitive			-edate
partitive		-edat	-edaid
illative		-edasse	-edatesse -edaisse
inessive		-edas	-edates -edais
elative		-edast	-edatest -edaist
allative		-edale	-edatele -edaile
adessive		-edal	-edatel -edail
ablative		-edalt	-edatelt -edailt
translative		-edaks	-edateks -edaiks
terminative		-edani	-edateni
essive		-edana	-edatena
abessive		-edata	-edateta
comitative		-edaga	-edatega

Derived terms

Estonian terms suffixed with -e

Finnish

Etymology

Conflated:

• Proto-Finnic *-ëk, from Proto-Uralic *-ek
• Proto-Finnic *-ëh, from Proto-Uralic *-eš; cognate with Proto-Samic *-ës

Historically, *-ëk was deverbal, while *-ëh was denominal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /-eˣ/, [-e̞(ʔ)]

Suffix

-e

1. Used for forming nouns from verbs or adjectives.

   ‎ottaa (“to take (hold of)”) + ‎-e → ‎ote (“grip”)

   ‎paha (“bad, evil”) + ‎-e → ‎pahe (“vice”)

   ‎ääntää (“to pronounce, enunciate”) + ‎-e → ‎äänne (“sound (in phonetics)”)

Declension

Inflection of -e (Kotus type 48/hame, no gradation)
nominative		-e	-eet
genitive		-een	-eiden -eitten
partitive		-etta	-eita
illative		-eeseen	-eisiin -eihin
		singular	plural
nominative		-e	-eet
accusative	nom.	-e	-eet
	gen.	-een
genitive		-een	-eiden -eitten
partitive		-etta	-eita
inessive		-eessa	-eissa
elative		-eesta	-eista
illative		-eeseen	-eisiin -eihin
adessive		-eella	-eilla
ablative		-eelta	-eilta
allative		-eelle	-eille
essive		-eena	-eina
translative		-eeksi	-eiksi
abessive		-eetta	-eitta
instructive		—	-ein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of -e (Kotus type 48/hame, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative -eeni -eeni accusative nom. -eeni -eeni gen. -eeni genitive -eeni -eideni -eitteni partitive -ettani -eitani inessive -eessani -eissani elative -eestani -eistani illative -eeseeni -eisiini -eihini adessive -eellani -eillani ablative -eeltani -eiltani allative -eelleni -eilleni essive -eenani -einani translative -eekseni -eikseni abessive -eettani -eittani instructive — — comitative — -eineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative -eesi -eesi accusative nom. -eesi -eesi gen. -eesi genitive -eesi -eidesi -eittesi partitive -ettasi -eitasi inessive -eessasi -eissasi elative -eestasi -eistasi illative -eeseesi -eisiisi -eihisi adessive -eellasi -eillasi ablative -eeltasi -eiltasi allative -eellesi -eillesi essive -eenasi -einasi translative -eeksesi -eiksesi abessive -eettasi -eittasi instructive — — comitative — -einesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative -eemme -eemme accusative nom. -eemme -eemme gen. -eemme genitive -eemme -eidemme -eittemme partitive -ettamme -eitamme inessive -eessamme -eissamme elative -eestamme -eistamme illative -eeseemme -eisiimme -eihimme adessive -eellamme -eillamme ablative -eeltamme -eiltamme allative -eellemme -eillemme essive -eenamme -einamme translative -eeksemme -eiksemme abessive -eettamme -eittamme instructive — — comitative — -einemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative -eenne -eenne accusative nom. -eenne -eenne gen. -eenne genitive -eenne -eidenne -eittenne partitive -ettanne -eitanne inessive -eessanne -eissanne elative -eestanne -eistanne illative -eeseenne -eisiinne -eihinne adessive -eellanne -eillanne ablative -eeltanne -eiltanne allative -eellenne -eillenne essive -eenanne -einanne translative -eeksenne -eiksenne abessive -eettanne -eittanne instructive — — comitative — -einenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative -eensa -eensa accusative nom. -eensa -eensa gen. -eensa genitive -eensa -eidensa -eittensa partitive -ettaan -ettansa -eitaan -eitansa inessive -eessaan -eessansa -eissaan -eissansa elative -eestaan -eestansa -eistaan -eistansa illative -eeseensa -eisiinsa -eihinsa adessive -eellaan -eellansa -eillaan -eillansa ablative -eeltaan -eeltansa -eiltaan -eiltansa allative -eelleen -eellensa -eilleen -eillensa essive -eenaan -eenansa -einaan -einansa translative -eekseen -eeksensa -eikseen -eiksensa abessive -eettaan -eettansa -eittaan -eittansa instructive — — comitative — -eineen -einensa

Inflection of -e (Kotus type 48/hame, no gradation)
nominative		-e	-eet
genitive		-een	-eiden -eitten
partitive		-että	-eitä
illative		-eeseen	-eisiin -eihin
		singular	plural
nominative		-e	-eet
accusative	nom.	-e	-eet
	gen.	-een
genitive		-een	-eiden -eitten
partitive		-että	-eitä
inessive		-eessä	-eissä
elative		-eestä	-eistä
illative		-eeseen	-eisiin -eihin
adessive		-eellä	-eillä
ablative		-eeltä	-eiltä
allative		-eelle	-eille
essive		-eenä	-einä
translative		-eeksi	-eiksi
abessive		-eettä	-eittä
instructive		—	-ein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of -e (Kotus type 48/hame, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative -eeni -eeni accusative nom. -eeni -eeni gen. -eeni genitive -eeni -eideni -eitteni partitive -ettäni -eitäni inessive -eessäni -eissäni elative -eestäni -eistäni illative -eeseeni -eisiini -eihini adessive -eelläni -eilläni ablative -eeltäni -eiltäni allative -eelleni -eilleni essive -eenäni -einäni translative -eekseni -eikseni abessive -eettäni -eittäni instructive — — comitative — -eineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative -eesi -eesi accusative nom. -eesi -eesi gen. -eesi genitive -eesi -eidesi -eittesi partitive -ettäsi -eitäsi inessive -eessäsi -eissäsi elative -eestäsi -eistäsi illative -eeseesi -eisiisi -eihisi adessive -eelläsi -eilläsi ablative -eeltäsi -eiltäsi allative -eellesi -eillesi essive -eenäsi -einäsi translative -eeksesi -eiksesi abessive -eettäsi -eittäsi instructive — — comitative — -einesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative -eemme -eemme accusative nom. -eemme -eemme gen. -eemme genitive -eemme -eidemme -eittemme partitive -ettämme -eitämme inessive -eessämme -eissämme elative -eestämme -eistämme illative -eeseemme -eisiimme -eihimme adessive -eellämme -eillämme ablative -eeltämme -eiltämme allative -eellemme -eillemme essive -eenämme -einämme translative -eeksemme -eiksemme abessive -eettämme -eittämme instructive — — comitative — -einemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative -eenne -eenne accusative nom. -eenne -eenne gen. -eenne genitive -eenne -eidenne -eittenne partitive -ettänne -eitänne inessive -eessänne -eissänne elative -eestänne -eistänne illative -eeseenne -eisiinne -eihinne adessive -eellänne -eillänne ablative -eeltänne -eiltänne allative -eellenne -eillenne essive -eenänne -einänne translative -eeksenne -eiksenne abessive -eettänne -eittänne instructive — — comitative — -einenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative -eensä -eensä accusative nom. -eensä -eensä gen. -eensä genitive -eensä -eidensä -eittensä partitive -ettään -ettänsä -eitään -eitänsä inessive -eessään -eessänsä -eissään -eissänsä elative -eestään -eestänsä -eistään -eistänsä illative -eeseensä -eisiinsä -eihinsä adessive -eellään -eellänsä -eillään -eillänsä ablative -eeltään -eeltänsä -eiltään -eiltänsä allative -eelleen -eellensä -eilleen -eillensä essive -eenään -eenänsä -einään -einänsä translative -eekseen -eeksensä -eikseen -eiksensä abessive -eettään -eettänsä -eittään -eittänsä instructive — — comitative — -eineen -einensä

Note that if the stem has gradation, it is (almost always) preserved, but very often inverted.

Derived terms

Finnish terms suffixed with -e

See also

• -ke
• -ine
• -nne
• -re

French

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• silent; causing previous silent consonant to become pronounced, and causing nasal vowels to become replaced by oral vowels + nasal consonants

Suffix

-e f

1. forms the feminine of adjectives and nouns

   ‎fort + ‎-e → ‎forte

   ‎garçon + ‎-e → ‎garçonne

Etymology 2

In the third person, from Latin -at; in the first person generally by analogy.

Suffix

-e

1. inflection of -er:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. first-person singular present subjunctive
   3. third-person singular present indicative
   4. third-person singular present subjunctive
2. inflection of -re:
   1. first-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular present subjunctive

Etymology 3

From Latin -ā (imperative).

Suffix

-e

1. second-person singular imperative of -er

Etymology 4

Suffix

-^e (plural -^es)

1. abbreviation of -ième when an ordinal number is written with Arabic or Roman numerals

   deuxième → 2^e

Garo

Suffix

-e

1. forms the perfect participle of a verb

   Skul re·e anga nengbea

   After going to school I was tired

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/, [ə], [ɘ], (chiefly southern also) [e], (Austria also) [ɛ]

Etymology 1

From Middle High German -e, from Old High German -ī, from Proto-Germanic *-į̄.

Suffix

-e

1. (now chiefly unproductive) used to form nouns from adjectives, sometimes with umlaut of the root vowel; the nouns express the quality of the adjective

   ‎stark (“strong”) + ‎-e → ‎Stärke (“strength”)

Etymology 2

From Middle High German -e, a merger of various Old High German vocalic endings.

Further information on -e as noun plural suffix

The plural suffix -e derives from a merger of Old High German -a and -i. Neuters usually remained unchanged in the nominative and accusative plural. The spread of the suffix to the neuter occurred by analogy with the masculine, whose declension was otherwise identical. Moreover, there were neuters ending in -e already in the singular; this -e tended to be apocopated, leading to reinterpretation of the fuller form as the plural (e.g. Middle High German stücke > modern Stück, pl. Stücke). Another mainly neuter plural suffix is -er, which see.

Umlaut originally occurred only when the Old High German ending had been -i, but from the High Middle Ages up to the present there has been a steady trend towards analogical expansion of umlaut in masculines, to the degree that umlautable monosyllables with umlautless plural have become rare (e.g. Hunde, Tage). In feminines, umlaut was seldom expanded, but the umlautless forms have switched to the weak suffix -en; therefore the e-plural in feminines is now always accompanied by umlaut (excepted are the suffixes -nis and -sal, both of which vary between feminine and neuter gender). Neuters are not umlauted (the only exception being Floß).

Suffix

-e

1. used to form the plural of some nouns; in masculines and feminines, but not in neuters, usually triggering umlaut of the root vowel

   ‎Baum (“tree”) + ‎-e → ‎Bäume (“trees”)

   ‎Nacht (“night”) + ‎-e → ‎Nächte (“nights”)

   ‎Wort (“word”) + ‎-e → ‎Worte (“words”)

3. (chiefly archaic outside of set phrases) used to form the dative of strong masculine and neuter nouns ending in a stressed syllable

   das Haus (“house”) → dem Hause (usually: dem Haus)

4. used to form various declined adjective forms, notably the nominative/accusative feminine singular

   schön → die schöne Frau

5. used to form the 1st person singular present indicative (and subjunctive) of a verb

   gehen (geh- + -en) → ich gehe (colloquial or poetic: ich geh)

6. used to form the 3rd person singular present subjunctive of a verb

   gehen → er gehe

7. used to form the 1st and 3rd person singular past subjunctive of a verb

   ging → ich ginge, er ginge

Etymology 3

/d/ coalesces with /t/ of -st, unstressed /u/ weakens to /ə/. See also pronunciation notes at du.

Pronoun

-e

2. (colloquial) Contraction of du after 2nd person singular forms of a verb.

   hast du → haste

   wärst du → wärste

   hattest du → hatteste, hattste, hatste

Etymology 4

Masculine weak noun endings attached to a stem, diachronically from Proto-Germanic *-ô. -in is used as a female equivalent, see there.

Alternative forms

• -∅ (zero derivation; for the masculine nominative singular form, other forms are the same)

Suffix

-e m (weak, genitive -en, plural -en, feminine -in)

1. derives nouns referring to a person with a trait specified by the stem, from adjective or noun stems, often from toponyms

   schwedisch or Schweden→ Schwede, Schwedin

   Latin catholicus → Katholik, Katholikin

   jung → Junge

   chinesisch → Chinese, Chinesin (surface analysis)

   Schwaben → Schwabe, Schwäbin

   Synonym: -er (which of the two suffixes is used is not entirely predictable, they may be interchangeable in some cases)

Declension

Declension of -e [masculine, weak]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	-e	die	-en
genitive	eines	des	-en	der	-en
dative	einem	dem	-en	den	-en
accusative	einen	den	-en	die	-en

See -in for the feminine forms.

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɛ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛ

Etymology 1

Suffix

-e

1. Possessive (and genitive) suffix: [from 1055]
   1. (with no possessor or with the 3rd‑person pronoun as possessor, usually construed with the definite article) his, her, its …

      ház → (a) háza, az ő háza (“his/her/its house”) élet → (az) élete, az ő élete (“his/her/its life”) barát → (a) barátja (“his/her/its friend”) kapu → (a) kapuja (“his/her/its gate”) palota → (a) palotája (“his/her/its palace”) kert → (a) kertje (“his/her/its garden”) betű → (a) betűje (“his/her/its letter”) vese → (a) veséje (“his/her/its kidney”)

   2. (with a singular possessor) …-'s, of … (third-person singular, single possession)

      Anna háza (“Anna’s house”), a felkelő nap háza (“the house of the rising sun”) Anna élete (“Anna’s life”), a város élete (“the life of the city”) a király palotája (“the king’s palace”) a ház kapuja (“the gate of the house”) Anna kertje (“Anna’s garden”), a tulipán kertje (“the garden of the tulip”)

   3. (with a plural possessor) …-s’, of …-s (third-person plural, single possession)

      a szüleim háza (“my parents’ house”), a trópusi növények háza (“[the] house of [the] tropical plants”, literally “the tropical plants’ house”) a szüleim élete (“my parents’ lives”, literally “my parents’ life”), a könyvek élete (“[the] lives of [the] books”, literally “the books’ life”) az uralkodók palotája (“the rulers’ palace”) a szüleim kertje (“my parents’ garden”), Az elágazó ösvények kertje (“The Garden of Forking Paths”)

   4. (with instantaneous time expressions) … ago (referring to a preceding point in time considered as an instant)

      Egy évszázada / két éve / egy órája / sok/hosszú ideje ment el. ― S/he left one century / two years / one hour / a long time ago.

      Synonym: -val/-vel ezelőtt (e.g. egy évszázaddal, két évvel ezelőtt)

   5. (with durative time expressions) for … (referring to some duration that precedes the point of time in question)

      Egy évszázada / két éve / egy órája / sok/hosszú ideje várunk rád. ― We have been waiting for you for a century / two years / an hour / a long time.

      Synonym: óta (less common in this sense; more commonly means “since”)

   6. (mostly with quantities, often following -ik) of …, out of … (partitive sense)

      Synonym: (only with countable quantities) közül

      jó (jav-) (“the greater/better part”) → a java még hátravan (“the best/bulk is yet to come”, literally “its best/bulk is…”)

      legnagyobbik (“the biggest one”) → a bikák legnagyobbika (“the biggest [one] of the bulls”, synonymous with a legnagyobb bika)

3. (personal suffix) [from the end of the 12th century]
   1. Third-person singular personal suffix in back-vowel verbs. Today it can be found in the third-person singular definite forms (indicative past and imperative conjugations) as part of the suffix -ja/-je, -ta/-te.

      tud (“to know”) → tudta (“he/she knew it”)

      tud → tudja (“he/she knows it (indicative mood)”)

      tud → tudja (“he/she should know it (subjunctive mood)”)

      kér (“to request, ask for sth”) → kérte (“he/she requested it”)

      kér → kérje (“he/she should request it (subjunctive mood)”)

   2. Third-person singular personal suffix in back-vowel conjugated infinitives and in the declined and postposition forms of the third-person personal pronoun ő (“he/she/it”).

      tanulni (“to study”) → tanulnia kell (“he/she must study”, literally “it is necessary for him/her to study”)

      kérni (“to request, ask for”) → kérnie kell (“he/she must request [it]”, literally “it is necessary for him/her to request”)

      -ról (“about”) → róla (“about him/her/it”)

      -től (“from”) → tőle (“from him/her/it”)

      után (“after”) → utána (“after him/her/it”)

      fölött (“above”) → fölötte (“above him/her/it”)

Usage notes

• (possessive suffix) Variants:

  -a is added to back-vowel words ending in a consonant

  -e is added to front-vowel words ending in a consonant

  -ja is added to back-vowel words ending in a consonant or a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-; final -o changes to -ó-.

  -je is added to front-vowel words ending in a consonant or a vowel. Final -e changes to -é-; final -ö changes to -ő-.

  • This suffix (in all forms) is normally used for the third-person singular possessive (single possession) but, after an explicit plural possessor, it also expresses the third-person plural possessive (single possession), e.g. “the children’s ball” (a gyerekek labdája). If the possessor is implicit (not named, only marked by a suffix), the plural possessive suffix must be used, e.g. “their ball” (a labdájuk, see -juk and its variants).
• (personal suffix) Variants:

  -a is added to back-vowel words

  -e is added to front-vowel words

Note that the corresponding (third-person singular) indicative mood of front-vowel verbs is -i, e.g. kéri (“s/he requests it”).

Declension

Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, front unrounded harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	-e	—
accusative	-ét	—
dative	-ének	—
instrumental	-ével	—
causal-final	-éért	—
translative	-évé	—
terminative	-éig	—
essive-formal	-eként	—
essive-modal	-éül	—
inessive	-ében	—
superessive	-én	—
adessive	-énél	—
illative	-ébe	—
sublative	-ére	—
allative	-éhez	—
elative	-éből	—
delative	-éről	—
ablative	-étől	—
non-attributive possessive - singular	-éé	—
non-attributive possessive - plural	-ééi	—

See also

• Category:Hungarian noun forms
• Appendix:Hungarian possessive suffixes

Etymology 2

• From e (“this”).
• From Proto-Finno-Ugric *-ë (interrogative particle).

Alternative forms

• -é (rare, mostly dialectal)

Particle

-e (clitic)

2. whether, if

   Nem tudom, [hogy] voltál-e már Budapesten. ― I don't know if you've ever been in Budapest.

3. (folksy) Suffix for yes/no tag questions. Always optional since word order and intonation make the question clear.

   Látod-e már a mezőket? ― Can you see the fields yet?

   • 1857, János Arany, A walesi bárdok (The Bards of Wales), translated by Watson Kirkconnell^[1]

     Van-e ott folyó és földje jó? / Legelőin fű kövér? / Használt-e a megöntözés: / A pártos honfivér?

     Are stream and mountain fair to see? / Are meadow grasses good? / Do corn-lands bear a crop more rare / Since wash’d with rebel’s blood?

     (Note: From a grammatical point of view, the Hungarian text could also include -e at “…földje jó-e?” and “…fű kövér-e?” or alternatively, all instances of -e could be removed without changing the meaning.)

Usage notes

Always written with a hyphen. Used in tag (yes/no) questions, but not all such questions use -e: in most cases a question is indicated only by emphasis and question mark. Always attached to the main word (usually the verb) of the predicate of the phrase.

Derived terms

• ugye

Etymology 3

Suffix

-e

2. (personal suffix, archaic) Used to form the third-person singular indicative past indefinite, for front-vowel verbs. The back-vowel version is -a. The suffix currently used in this place is -t, -tt, -ett or -ött. For the full paradigm, see the usage template.

Etymology 4

See at -a.

Suffix

-e

2. (obsolete participle suffix) Synonym of -ő (present-participle suffix) The back-vowel version is -a. Sometimes it also occurs as -é or -i.

Derived terms

• cibere (debated)
• cinege
• csibe (debated)
• csöröge
• enyhe
• fene
• fürge
• gügye
• hebe(hurgya)
• hülye
• kele(kótya)
• kerge
• lenge
• lepke
• mese (debated)
• penge
• pille
• pisze
• pörge
• pösze
• réce (debated)
• serte(pertél)
• tele (debated)
• zene(bona)
• zsenge

Further reading

• (whether, if): -e in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• (whether, if): -e in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2024).

Ido

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Esperanto -e, from Latin -ē.

Suffix

-e

2. -ly; used to form adverbs

Usage notes

Any adjective can be converted into an adverb by swapping the -a suffix by -e.

Derived terms

Ido terms suffixed with -e (adverb)

Etymology 2

Suffix

-e

2. ending for names of consonants

Derived terms

Ido terms suffixed with -e (consonant)

Ingrian

Etymology

Conflated:

• From Proto-Finnic *-ëk.
• From Proto-Finnic *-ëh.

Cognates include Finnish -e and Estonian -e.

The two suffixes do retain a distinct inflection in the Soikkola, Hevaha and Ylä-Laukaa dialects.

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /-e/, [-e̞]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /-e/, [-e̞]

Suffix

-e

1. Used to form nouns from either verbs or adjectives.

   ‎lähtiä (“to begin”) + ‎-e → ‎lähe (“spring”)

Declension

(back-vocalic) Declension of -e (type 6/lähe, no gradation) singular plural nominative -e -eet genitive -een -ein partitive -etta -eita illative -eesse -eisse inessive -ees -eis elative -eest -eist allative -eelle -eille adessive -eel -eil ablative -eelt -eilt translative -eeks -eiks essive -eenna, -een -einna, -ein exessive1) -eent -eint 1) obsolete *) the accusative corresponds with either the genitive (sg) or nominative (pl) **) the comitative is formed by adding the suffix -ka? or -kä? to the genitive.

(front-vocalic) Declension of -e (type 6/lähe, no gradation) singular plural nominative -e -eet genitive -een -ein partitive -että -eitä illative -eesse -eisse inessive -ees -eis elative -eest -eist allative -eelle -eille adessive -eel -eil ablative -eelt -eilt translative -eeks -eiks essive -eennä, -een -einnä, -ein exessive1) -eent -eint 1) obsolete *) the accusative corresponds with either the genitive (sg) or nominative (pl) **) the comitative is formed by adding the suffix -ka? or -kä? to the genitive.

Derived terms

Ingrian terms suffixed with -e

Irish

Etymology 1

From Old Irish -e, from Proto-Celtic *-iyā, from Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂.

Suffix

-e f

1. Used to form abstract nouns from adjectives

Derived terms

Irish terms suffixed with -e

Etymology 2

Simplification of *-nn-ne.

Suffix

-e

1. Alternative form of -ne (used after -nn in pronouns)

See also

Irish emphatic suffixes

Person	After a broad consonant	After a slender consonant
1 sg.	-sa	-se
2 sg.
3 sg. m.	-san	-sean
3 sg. f.	-sa	-se
1 pl.	-na	-ne -e (after nn in pronouns)
2 pl.	-sa	-se
3 pl.	-san	-sean
Emphatic suffixes are added to nouns modified by a possessive determiner to emphasize the possessor; to verbs, predicate adjectives, and predicate nouns to emphasize the subject; and to inflected prepositions to emphasize the object.

Etymology 3

From Old Irish -e, from Proto-Celtic *-yās, from Proto-Indo-European *-yeh₂-s.

Suffix

-e

1. Used to form the genitive singular of second-declension nouns
2. Used to form the feminine genitive singular of first-declension adjectives

Etymology 4

From a variety of Old Irish nominative and accusative plural endings including -i in masculine and feminine i-stems and in feminine ī-stems, -e in neuter i-stems, and -ea in some consonant stems; from various Proto-Celtic endings.

Suffix

-e

1. Used to form the plural of certain nouns

Etymology 5

From Old Irish -iu, from Proto-Celtic *-yūs, from Proto-Indo-European *-yōs.

Suffix

-e

1. Used to form the comparative degree of adjectives

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e/ (stress falls on the preceding syllable)
• Hyphenation: -e

Suffix

-e (non-lemma form of verb-forming suffix)

1. used with a stem to form the third-person present of regular -ere verbs and those -ire verbs that don't take "isco"

Japanese

Romanization

-e

1. Rōmaji transcription of え

Latin

Etymology 1

From Old Latin -ēd (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?), from Proto-Italic *-ēd, probably from a combination of Proto-Indo-European suffixes, but morphologically opaque. Compare perhaps Proto-Germanic *-ê and Proto-Slavic *-ě (adverbial suffixes), though these are also of disputed derivation. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /eː/, [eː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /e/, [ɛː]

Suffix

-ē (comparative -ius, superlative -issimē)

1. -ly; used to form adverbs from adjectives.

   Synonyms: -iter, -ō, -ter

Usage notes

The suffix -ē is usually added to a first/second-declension adjective stem to form an adverb of manner.

Examples:

‎clārus (“famous, clear”) + ‎-ē → ‎clārē (“famously, clearly”)

‎pulcher (“beautiful”) + ‎-ē → ‎pulchrē (“beautifully”)

Descendants

• → Esperanto: -e

Etymology 2

A regularly declined form of -us.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /e/, [ɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /e/, [ɛː]

Suffix

-e

1. vocative masculine singular of -us

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Suffix

-e

1. ablative singular of -s

See also

Latin terms suffixed with -e

Latvian

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Suffix

-e

1. Used to derive feminine nouns from masculine nouns (like English -ess).
2. Used to form (feminine) nouns from verb stems.

   ‎iestādīt + ‎-e → ‎iestāde

   ‎skatīt + ‎-e → ‎skate

Synonyms

• -a

Derived terms

Latvian terms suffixed with -e

Related terms

Feminine suffixes that include -e

• -ene
• -niece

 

Lower Sorbian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *-ę.

Suffix

-e n

1. Noun suffix, mostly used for young animals.

   ‎robel (“sparrow”) + ‎-e → ‎roble (“baby sparrow”)

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch -i, from Proto-Germanic *-į̄.

Suffix

-e f

1. Used to form abstract nouns from adjectives, mostly those expressing physical properties.

   Synonyms: -ede, -heit

Usage notes

This suffix originally triggered umlaut of the root vowel. This is seen in some words (kelde, from cout), but not in others (coude).

Derived terms

Middle Dutch terms suffixed with -e

Descendants

• Dutch: -e

Middle English

Etymology 1

From a variety of Old English adjectival inflectional suffixes.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /-(ə)/

Suffix

-e

1. Forms the weak singular and plural of adjectives.

Derived terms

Middle English terms suffixed with -e (adjectival)

References

• “-e, suf.(3).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

From Old French -e, -ee, from Latin -ātus, -āta. Compare -at, -te, -ite.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /-eː/, /-ɛi̯/

Suffix

-e (no longer productive)

1. Forms nouns denoting an office or function.
2. Forms pseudo-participial nouns from verbs or other nouns:
   1. Forms nouns denoting the presence of something.
   2. Forms nouns denoting one who an action is done to.
   3. Forms nouns denoting something made or applied.

      ‎fige (“fig”) + ‎-e → ‎figee (“fig pudding”)

Derived terms

Middle English terms suffixed with -e (participial)

Descendants

• English: -ee, -y
• Scots: -ee, -y

Etymology 3

From Old English -a.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /-(ə)/

Suffix

-e (no longer productive)

1. Forms agent nouns from verbal or nominal stems.

Derived terms

Middle English terms suffixed with -e (agentive)

References

• “-e, suf.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-06-24.

Etymology 4

Suffix

-e

1. Alternative form of -y

Etymology 5

Suffix

-e

1. Alternative form of -yf

Etymology 6

Suffix

-e

1. Alternative form of -ie

Mokilese

Suffix

-e

1. first person singular demonstrative suffix, equivalent to this (specifically, an object far from both the speaker and listener)

   ‎rais (“rice”) + ‎-e → ‎raisse (“this rice”)

Usage notes

This suffix typically triggers gemination of the final consonant of the noun to which it is applied, if there is one.

References

• Harrison, Sheldon P., Mokilese Reference Grammar, University of Hawaii Press 1977

Murui Huitoto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [-ɛ]

Classifier

-e

1. Classifier with no specific meaning.

Derived terms

Murui Huitoto terms suffixed with -e

References

• Katarzyna Izabela Wojtylak (2017) A grammar of Murui (Bue): a Witotoan language of Northwest Amazonia.‎^[2], Townsville: James Cook University press (PhD thesis), page 195

Namuyi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [-ɛ˧]

Suffix

-e

1. Used to form ingressive verbs.

References

• Štěpán Pavlík (2017) The Description of Namuzi Language‎^[3], Prague: Charles University (PhD Thesis), page 49

Ojibwe

Final

-e

1. an incorporating final

Derived terms

• bakade
• bebezhigooganzhii
• manise
• moosewiingwe
• naadoobii
• naawakwe
• ozhige

References

• The Ojibwe People's Dictionary https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/word-part/e-final-1287

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e/

Etymology 1

From West Germanic *-ā, from Proto-Germanic *-ê, which survives otherwise only in Gothic (and possibly Old Norse).

Suffix

-e

2. forming adverbs from adjectives; -ly

   ‎beorht (“bright, clear”) + ‎-e → ‎beorhte (“brightly, clearly”)

Alternative forms

• -a, -æ — Northumbrian

Derived terms

Old English terms suffixed with -e (adverbial)

Etymology 2

From Proto-West Germanic *-ī. Beyond that, generally from Proto-Germanic *-ijaz. Note though that -wintre is from Proto-Germanic *-wintruz, since Proto-Germanic u-stem adjectives became ja-stems in West Germanic. Other suffixes derived from u-stem nouns, such as -flēre, might also have been zero derivations in Proto-Germanic.

Suffix

-e

2. forms adjectives from nouns, often with the meaning "having" (typically causes i-umlaut)

   ‎ān (“one”) + ‎willa (“will”) + ‎-e → ‎ānwille (“stubborn”)

   ‎fela (“many”) + ‎word (“word”) + ‎-e → ‎felawyrde (“long-winded”)

   ‎fīf (“five”) + ‎flōr (“floor”) + ‎-e → ‎fīfflēre (“five-story”)

   ‎fiþer- (“four”) + ‎sċēat (“corner”) + ‎-e → ‎fiþersċīete (“square”)

   ‎forþ (“forward”) + ‎gang (“going”) + ‎-e → ‎forþgenġe (“progressive”)

   ‎īdel (“empty”) + ‎hand (“hand”) + ‎-e → ‎īdelhende (“empty-handed”)

   ‎lang (“long”) + ‎līf (“life”) + ‎-e → ‎langlīfe (“long-lived”)

   ‎ofer- (“over-”) + ‎ǣt (“eating”) + ‎-e → ‎oferǣte (“gluttonous”)

   ‎or- (“out of”) + ‎blōd (“blood”) + ‎-e → ‎orblēde (“bled out”)

   ‎sċeolh (“crooked”) + ‎ēage (“eye”) + ‎-e → ‎sċeolhīeġe (“crosseyed”)

   ‎sīd (“hanging down”) + ‎feax (“hair on the head”) + ‎-e → ‎sīdfiexe (“long-haired”)

   ‎twelf (“twelve”) + ‎winter (“year”) + ‎-e → ‎twelfwintre (“twelve years old”)

   ‎twi- (“two”) + ‎eċġ (“edge”) + ‎-e → ‎twieċġe (“double-edged”)

   ‎twi- (“two”) + ‎fōt (“foot”) + ‎-e → ‎twifēte (“bipedal”)

   ‎un- (“un-”) + ‎ċēap (“cost”) + ‎-e → ‎unċīepe (“free”)

Declension

Declension of -e — Strong

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	-e	-u, -o	-e
Accusative	-ne	-e	-e
Genitive	-es	-re	-es
Dative	-um	-re	-um
Instrumental	-e	-re	-e
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	-e	-a, -e	-u, -o
Accusative	-e	-a, -e	-u, -o
Genitive	-ra	-ra	-ra
Dative	-um	-um	-um
Instrumental	-um	-um	-um

Declension of -e — Weak

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	-a	-e	-e
Accusative	-an	-an	-e
Genitive	-an	-an	-an
Dative	-an	-an	-an
Instrumental	-an	-an	-an
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	-an	-an	-an
Accusative	-an	-an	-an
Genitive	-ra, -ena	-ra, -ena	-ra, -ena
Dative	-um	-um	-um
Instrumental	-um	-um	-um

Alternative forms

• -i — Early Anglian

See also

• Old English terms suffixed with -e (adjectival)

Etymology 3

Likely borrowed from the subjunctive singular Proto-West Germanic *-ē after high vowel apocope resulted in the loss of inherited Proto-West Germanic *-u in heavy stem verbs, and then analogically extended to light stem verbs.

Suffix

-e

1. Used to form the first person singular present indicative of strong verbs and class I weak verbs

   ‎drīfan (“to drive”) + ‎-e → ‎drīfe (“I drive”)

   ‎fremman (“to perform”) + ‎-e → ‎fremme (“I perform”)

Alternative forms

• -u, -o — Anglian, Kentish

Etymology 4

Suffix

-e

1. Marks the accusative, genitive, and dative singular and the nominative and accusative plural of ō-stem feminine nouns

   ‎talu (“tale”) + ‎-e → ‎tale (“tale, tales”)

Etymology 5

Suffix

-e

1. Marks the nominative singular of feminine n-stem nouns

   docce (“dock”)

   berġe (“berry”)

3. Forms nouns referring to female people from nouns referring to male people

   ‎cyning (“king”) + ‎-e → ‎cyninge (“queen”)

   ‎ġebedda (“husband, male consort”) + ‎-e → ‎ġebedde (“wife, female consort”)

Declension

Weak:

	singular	plural
nominative	-e	-an
accusative	-an	-an
genitive	-an	-ena
dative	-an	-um

See also

• Old English terms suffixed with -e (feminine)

Old French

Etymology

Latin -a.

Suffix

-e

1. used to form feminine forms of nouns and adjectives

Descendants

• Middle French: -e
  • French: -e

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *-iyā (whence also Welsh -edd and Cornish -edh), from Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂. Cognate with Ancient Greek -ίᾱ (-íā) and Latin -ia.

Suffix

-e f

1. Forms concrete or abstract nouns from adjectives.

   ‎cathach (“bellicose”) + ‎-e → ‎cathaige (“warlike spirit”)

   ‎sáer (“free”) + ‎-e → ‎saíre (“freedom, liberty”)

Usage notes

This suffix palatalises the preceding consonant(s) when one of the following is true:

• The consonant(s) are a single intervocalic coronal consonant or -nd-.
• The consonant(s) are -mb-, -ng- or any lone intervocalic non-coronal consonant, in turn preceded by an unrounded vowel.

Other consonants and clusters are generally not palatalised by the suffix, unless the cluster previously had an /e/ or /i/ between the consonants in the cluster that was lost to syncope. However, sometimes palatalization spreads analogically.

Inflection

Feminine iā-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	-eL	-iL	-i
Vocative	-eL	-iL	-i
Accusative	-iN	-iL	-i
Genitive	-e	-eL	-eN
Dative	-iL	-ib	-ib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Derived terms

Old Irish terms suffixed with -e

Descendants

• Irish: -e

Old Polish

Alternative forms

• -ie

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-ьje.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /ɛː/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /e/

Suffix

-e n

1. forms neuter nouns denoting a place, typically from a prepositional phrase
2. forms adverbs from adjectives, causes softening

Derived terms

Old Polish terms suffixed with -e

Descendants

• Polish: -e

See also

• -o

Polish

Alternative forms

• -ie

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish -e, from Proto-Slavic *-ьje. Doublet of -ion and -ium.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ɛ/

• (Middle Polish) IPA^(key): /e/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛ
• Syllabification: [please specify syllabification manually]
• Homophones: e, ę, -ę

Suffix

-e n (feminine -a)

1. forms neuter nouns denoting a place, typically from a prepositional phrase

   po + ‎bok + ‎-e → ‎pobocze

2. forms some plural forms

   ‎list + ‎-e → ‎liście (see liść)

3. forms adverbs from adjectives, causes softening

   ‎zwykły + ‎-e → ‎zwykle

Derived terms

Polish terms suffixed with -e

See also

• -o

Further reading

• -e in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology 1

Representing French feminine nouns.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /i/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /i/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /e/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɨ/

Suffix

-e

1. forms the feminine of some proper nouns

   ‎Juliano + ‎-e → ‎Juliane

Etymology 2

A neologistic suffix that replaces -o and -a in nouns and adjectives.

Suffix

-e n (plural -es)

1. (gender-neutral, neologism, informal) suffix used to form gender-neutral singular nouns

   Synonym: -x

   ‎filho (“son”)/‎filha (“daughter”) + ‎-e → ‎filhe (“child”)

   ‎moço (“young man”)/‎moça (“young woman”) + ‎-e → ‎moce (“young person”)

   ‎amigo (“male friend”)/‎amiga (“female friend”) + ‎-e → ‎amigue (“friend”)

   ‎aluno (“male student”)/‎aluna (“female student”) + ‎-e → ‎alune (“student”)

Romani

Etymology

Compare Hindi -ए (-e).

Suffix

-e

1. Forms the nominative plural of vocalic oikoclitic masculine nouns

   ‎ćhavo (“Romani boy”) + ‎-e → ‎ćhave (“Romani boys”)

2. Forms the nominative plural of vocalic oikoclitic adjectives
3. Forms the oblique of oikoclitic adjectives
4. Attaches to the perfective stem to form the third-person plural past tense.

Usage notes

Few conservative dialects use -a to form the oblique feminine singular of oikoclitic adjectives.

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin -ae (“first-declension ending”).

Suffix

-e

1. (in the plural) -s (feminine/neuter)

Usage notes

• This form of the plural is indefinite, and used for feminine nouns in the nominative/accusative and genitive/dative cases which end in -ă, and some neuter nouns (with may or may not take plural -uri):
• mame, from mamă, fem.
• vise (also visuri), from vis, neut.

Alternative forms

• -le

Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin -e (“second-declension vocative ending”).

Suffix

-e

1. Vocative singular (masculine/neuter)

   Oh!

Usage notes

• This suffixed used with masculine and neuter definite nouns in -l and -ul:

‎bărbatul (masc.) + ‎-e → ‎bărbatule!

‎tatăl (masc.) + ‎-e → ‎tatăle!

‎visul (neut.) + ‎-e → ‎visule!

• This suffix is absorbed in masculine and neuter definite nouns in -le:

‎fratele (masc.) + ‎-e → ‎fratele!

‎numele (neut.) + ‎-e → ‎numele!

Related terms

• -o

Etymology 3

Inherited from Latin -ere, the ending of the present active infinitive form of third conjugation verbs. Cognate with Spanish -er, Italian -ere, etc.

Suffix

-e

1. A suffix forming infinitives of many verbs.

Conjugation

    conjugation of -e (third conjugation, past participle in -s)

infinitive			a -e
gerund			-ând
past participle			s
number		singular			plural
person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	-	-i	-e	-em	-eți	-
	imperfect	-eam	-eai	-ea	-eam	-eați	-eau
	simple perfect	sei	seși	se	serăm	serăți	seră
	pluperfect	sesem	seseși	sese	seserăm	seserăți	seseră
subjunctive		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	să -	să -i	să -ă	să -em	să -eți	să -ă
imperative		—	tu	—	—	voi	—
	affirmative		-e			-eți
	negative		nu -e			nu -eți

Related terms

• -a
• -ea
• -i
• -î

 

See also

• -re

Saterland Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian -a, from Proto-West Germanic *-ōn. Cognates include West Frisian -e and German -en.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /-ə/

Suffix

-e (type 2 form -je)

1. Used to form verbs from nouns and adjectives.

Conjugation

Conjugation of -e (weak type 1)

Grúundfoarme			-e
Infinitive			tou -en
Present tense				Past tense
iek	-e	wie	-e	iek	-de	wie	-den
du	-st	jie	-e	du	-dest	jie	-den
hie/ju/dät	-t	jo	-e	hie/ju/dät	-de	jo	-den
Present participle		Imperative		Auxiliary		Past participle
-end		Singular	-	häbe		-d
		Plural	-et

Derived terms

Saterland Frisian terms suffixed with -e

References

• Horst Haider Munske, editor (2001), “Das Saterfriesische”, in Handbuch des Friesischen [Handbook of Frisian studies], Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag, →ISBN, page 414

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-ę.

Suffix

-e (Cyrillic spelling -е)

1. Suffix appended to words to create a neuter noun, usually denoting a young animal, plant, place name or is used as a collective noun.

Declension

Nouns denoting inanimate objects

	singular	plural
nominative	-e	-eta
genitive	-ta	-etā
dative	-etu	-etima
accusative	-e	-eta
vocative	-e	-eta
locative	-etu	-etima
instrumental	-etom	-etima

Nouns denoting animate objects

	singular	plural
nominative	-e	-ad
genitive	-ta	-adi
dative	-etu	-adi
accusative	-e	-ad
vocative	-e	-adi
locative	-etu	-adi
instrumental	-etom	-ađu / -adi

Derived terms

• jáje
• jȁnje / jȁgnje
• kljȗse
• pȉle
• pȕce
• tèle
• tùce
• ždrijȇbe / ždrȇbe

 

Etymology 2

Suffix

-e (Cyrillic spelling -е)

1. Suffix appended to the truncated stem (up to the second syllable) of a proper name to create a masculine or feminine hypocoristic.

   ‎Katarína + ‎-e → ‎Káte

   ‎Màrija + ‎-e → ‎Máre

   ‎Jȕrāj + ‎-e → ‎Júre

   ‎Màtija + ‎-e → ‎Máte

Etymology 3

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-e, from Proto-Indo-European *-e, not a desinence per se but a thematic vowel in e-grade.

Suffix

-e (Cyrillic spelling -е)

1. Suffix appended to the nominal stem to create vocative singular. Used for masculine and neuter a-stems.

   ‎vȗk + ‎-e → ‎vȗče (vocative singular)

See also

• -ance
• -ašce
• -ce
• -ešce
• -je

 

Spanish

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin -et, the third-person singular present active indicative ending of second conjugation verbs, and Latin -it, the third-person singular present active indicative ending of third and fourth conjugation verbs.

Suffix

-e (non-lemma form of verb-forming suffix)

1. forms the third-person singular (also used with usted) present indicative of -er and -ir verbs

Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin -em, the first-person singular present active subjunctive ending of first conjugation verbs, and Latin -et, the third-person singular present active subjunctive ending of first conjugation verbs.

Suffix

-e (non-lemma form of verb-forming suffix)

1. forms the first- and third-person singular present subjunctive of -ar verbs

Etymology 3

Inherited from Latin -ē, Latin -e, and Latin -ī, the second-person singular present active imperative endings of second, third, and fourth conjugation verbs, respectively.

Suffix

-e (non-lemma form of verb-forming suffix)

1. forms the second-person singular imperative form of -er and -ir verbs

Etymology 4

Neologistic suffix between -a and -o.

Suffix

-e gender-neutral (noun-forming suffix, plural -es)

1. (neologism) forms gender-neutral words

   ‎hermano (“brother”)/‎hermana (“sister”) + ‎-e → ‎hermane (“sibling”)

   ‎niño (“boy”)/‎niña (“girl”) + ‎-e → ‎niñe (“child”)

   ‎amigo (“male friend”)/‎amiga (“female friend”) + ‎-e → ‎amigue (“friend”)

   ‎abogado (“male lawyer”)/‎abogada (“female lawyer”) + ‎-e → ‎abogade (“lawyer”)

Derived terms

forms gender-neutral words

• abogade (“lawyer”)
• abuele (“grandparent”)
• alumne (“student”)
• amigue (“friend”)
• argentine (“Argentinian”)
• elle (“they, sie (gender-neutral third-person pronoun)”)
• enemigue (“enemy”)
• extranjere (“foreigner”)
• hermane (“sibling”)
• hije (“offspring”)
• latine (“someone of Latin American descent”)
• médique (“physician”)
• niete (“grandchild”)
• niñe (“child”)
• novie (“romantic partner”)
• prime (“cousin”)
• sobrine (“nibling”)
• vecine (“neighbor”)

 

See also

• -a

Further reading

• “-e”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Swahili

Etymology 1

Other scripts
Ajami	ـيْ, ـيِ

Suffix

-e

1. (without TAM infix, with -si-, or with -ka-) subjunctive marker

   ili mwende nyumbani ― such that you would go home

   • 18th century, Abdallah bin Ali bin Nasir, Al-Inkishafi‎^[4], translation from R. Allen (1946) “Inkishafi—a translation from the Swahili”, in African Studies, volume 5, number 4, →DOI, pages 243–249, stanza 11:

     هُنِلِزِ نَمِ كَلِ بَيْنِ ، لِوَاپُ نَسُرَ نِسِ كَتَيْ

     Hunelezi nami kali baini, liwapo na-sura nisi katae.

     Can't you tell it me plainly that I may admit it?

   1. (without TAM infix) imperative marker

      ikumbukwe ― let it be remembered

Usage notes

Borrowed verbs with indicative form not ending in -a do not take this suffix.

See also

Swahili TAM markers
Initial
Positive infinitive	ku-/kw-1
Negative infinitive	kuto-
Habitual	hu-1
Telegrammic	ka-1
Final
General (positive indicative)	-a
Positive subjunctive	-e
Negative present	-i
Second person plural	-ni
Infix position positive subject concord
Positive past	-li-
Positive present	-na-
Positive future	-ta-
Negative subjunctive	-si-1
Positive present conditional	-nge-
Negative present conditional	-singe-
Positive past conditional	-ngali-
Negative past conditional	-singali-
Gnomic	-a-1
Perfect	-me-
"Already" past	-lisha-
"Already" present	-mesha-/-sha-
"If/When"	-ki-1
"If not"	-sipo-
Consecutive	-ka-1
Infix position negative subject concord
Negative past	-ku-1
Negative future	-ta-
"Not yet"	-ja-1
Negative present conditional	-nge-
Negative past conditional	-ngali-
Relative
Past	-li-
Present	-na-
Future	-taka-
Negative	-si-
1 Can take stress and therefore does not require -ku-/-kw- in monosyllabic verbs.

Etymology 2

Suffix

-e

1. suffix used to derive a noun denoting a person or object undergoing an action

   ‎-vimba (“to swell”) + ‎-e → ‎uvimbe (“swelling, expansion”)

   ‎-umba (“to create”) + ‎-e → ‎kiumbe (“creature”)

Swedish

Suffix

-e

1. Conjugates verbs into the subjunctive mood (archaic except for the past subjunctive of vara: vore)
2. Marker of definiteness on past participles ending in -ad
3. Marker of plural on past participles ending in -ad
4. Marker of definiteness on superlatives ending in -ast
5. Marker of definiteness on adjectives describing nouns with masculine semantic gender (sex)
6. Creates diminutives of given names and certain nouns, -ie, -y

   Synonyms: -is, -a, -an

   ‎frukost (“breakfast”) + ‎-e → ‎frugge (“brekkie”)

   ‎fisk (“fish”) + ‎-e → ‎firre (“fishie”)

   ‎Jonatan (“Jonathan”) + ‎-e → ‎Jonte (nickname of Jonatan)

Turkish

	preceding vowel
	A / I / O / U	E / İ / Ö / Ü
postconsonantal	-a	-e
postvocalic	-ya	-ye

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Turkic *-ke.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈe/

Suffix

-e (inflectional)

Form of -a after the vowels E / İ / Ö / Ü.

1. to (puts the word into the dative case)

Tzotzil

Clitic

-e

1. Phrase-final clitic used when an article precedes at least one word.

   ti vinike ― the man

References

• Aissen, Judith (1987) Tzotzil Clause Structure, p. 3. Dordrecht: D. Reidel. →ISBN

Ye'kwana

Variant orthographies

ALIV	-e
Brazilian standard	-e
New Tribes	-e

Alternative forms

• -ye, -ke, -∅ (allomorphs)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [-e]

Suffix

-e

1. Forms adverbs with a participle-like meaning from verbs; must be accompanied by the prefix t- and an indicator specifying the role of the verb argument to which the participle refers (intransitive argument w-, transitive agent n-, or transitive patient ∅-).
2. Forms adverbs from verbs, expressing the purpose of the movement described by a main motion verb or copula to which the derived term becomes subordinate: in order to, for the purpose of, to, for

Usage notes

This suffix can trigger syllable reduction on the preceding syllable. The suffix takes the form -ke when the preceding syllable is reducible and has an onset of k, -ye when the preceding syllable ends in i, -e when it ends in u or ü or a reduced syllable, and -∅ (a null suffix) after other vowels (a, e, o, ö).

It is unclear if t- -e is best analyzed as an adverbializing circumfix or as a separate unspecified person prefix t- and adverbializing suffix -e.

The derivation expressing destination of motion also takes prefixes.

References

• Cáceres, Natalia (2011) “-e”, in Grammaire Fonctionnelle-Typologique du Ye’kwana‎^[5], Lyon, pages 151–152, 154, 437