-erlei

German

Etymology

Analyzed as a suffix by rebracketing ( (adj + -er) + -lei ) as ( adj + (-erlei) ). See -lei.

Suffix

-erlei f

1. Produces adjectives describing the number of kinds of a thing.

   ‎zwei (“two”) + ‎-erlei → ‎zweierlei (“two kinds of”)

   ‎manch (“many”) + ‎-erlei → ‎mancherlei (“many kinds of”)

Derived terms

German terms suffixed with -erlei

Further reading

• PONS: Perfektes Deutsch: Der Ratgeber in sprachlichen Zweifelsfällen, 2009, page 463
• Martin Durrell, Hammer's German Grammar and Usage, 5th ed., 2011, page 174, section "9.4.4 The suffix -erlei"
• Duden: Die Grammatik: Unentbehrlich für richtiges Deutsch, 9th ed., 2016, page 317, section "2.10.6 -erlei"