-ese

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ese"

English

Etymology

From Middle English -eys, from Old French -eis, from Latin -ēnsis and, less often, Late Latin -iscus. Generally used in place of more common equivalent suffixes such as -er and -an on the model of equivalent terms in Italian and Portuguese, particularly for Italian, Portuguese African, and East Asian places first widely discussed in Portuguese and Latin.

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /iːz/
(US) IPA^(key): /iz/; (nonstandard, rare, possibly archaic) /is/^[1]

Suffix

-ese

Used to form adjectives and nouns describing things and characteristics of a city, region, or country, such as the people and the language spoken by these people.
Synonym: -ish

Faroese, Maltese, Milanese, Parmese, Portuguese, Viennese; Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese; Beninese, Congolese, Togolese,
Used to form nouns meaning the jargon or language used by a particular profession or being or in a particular context.
Synonym: -speak

‎journal + ‎-ese → ‎journalese

‎legal + ‎-ese → ‎legalese

‎translation + ‎-ese → ‎translationese

Usage notes

Generally speaking, nouns formed with the suffix -ese have no distinct plural form (e.g. two Viennese) and, with the definite article, are plural in itself and refer to an entire group (e.g. the Ravennese). They are also generally not used in the singular, as in "I am a Chinese"; instead, phrases like "I am a Chinese person" are used, where "Chinese" is an adjective. (In some British dialects, "a Chinese" can be used, but to refer to an ellipsis of Chinese meal, rather than a person.) This is not always the case, particularly for (non-native) English speakers from East Asia who use it to translate demonyms such as 日本人 and 中国人, but such countable uses may have nonstandard meanings. See also -ish, which "I am an English" is similarly considered improper.

Derived terms

English terms suffixed with -ese

Adjectives and nouns describing characteristics of a region

Nouns denoting jargon

Translations

Note: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ese.

forming adjectives and nouns describing things characteristic of a particular place

Afrikaans: -ees
Arabic: ـِيّ (ar) (-iyy)
Catalan: -ès (ca) m, -esa (ca) f
Valencian: -és (ca) m, -esa (ca) f
Chinese:
Cantonese: use attributive noun

Mandarin: use attributive noun
Czech: -ština (cs) f, -čtina (cs)
Dutch: -ees (nl)
French: -ais (fr), -ois (fr)
Galician: -és (gl) m, -esa f
Georgian: -ური (-uri), -ული (-uli) (in words ending in -r)
German: -isch (de) (for adjectives and languages); -ese (de), -er (de) (for persons)
Hungarian: -i (hu)
Interlingua: -ese
Italian: -ese
Latin: -ensis, -ita, -ites, -anus, -inus, -ius
Old Church Slavonic: -ьскъ (-ĭskŭ)
Persian: -ی
Portuguese: -ês (pt)
Russian: -ский (-skij) (adjectives), -ец (ru) m (-ec) (masculine nouns), -ка (ru) f (-ka) (feminine nouns)
Sanskrit: -ईय f (-īya)
Spanish: -és (es) m, -esa f
Tok Pisin: bilong (tpi)
Ukrainian: -ський (-sʹkyj)

forming nouns meaning the jargon used by a particular profession

Hungarian: -i (hu), -beli (hu)
Interlingua: -ese

References

^ See e.g.
“Annamese”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. / “Annamese”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present. / “Annamese”, in Collins English Dictionary. / “Annamese”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.,
“Chinese”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. / “Chinese”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present. / “Chinese”, in Collins English Dictionary. / “Chinese”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.,
“legalese”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. / “legalese”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.,
“Viennese”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. / “Viennese”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present. / “Viennese”, in Collins English Dictionary. / “Viennese”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC., etc.

Anagrams

SEE, See, ees, see

German

Etymology

Presumably from Italian -ese, Portuguese -ese and English -ese + -e.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈeː.zə]
Audio: (file)

Suffix

-ese m (weak, genitive -esen, plural -esen, feminine -esin)

Forms nouns indicating an inhabitant of a place.

Usage notes

As in English, -ese is generally only used to form words on the model of Italian and Portuguese terms, with particular use in Italy, Portuguese Africa, and East Asia. Unlike English, the German terms only function as demonyms that can easily be discussed in the singular and many such terms are now obsolete, having been replaced by equivalents using -er.

Declension

Declension of -ese [masculine, weak]

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

Derived terms

German terms suffixed with -ese

Interlingua

Etymology

Borrowed from English -an, French -ain, Italian -ano, Portuguese -ano/Spanish -ano, all ultimately from Latin -ānus.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈese/, /ˈeze/

Suffix

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-ese

forms nouns and adjectives from nouns, denoting or pertaining to a native, citizen or inhabitant; -ese
Synonyms: (noun) -ano, -ana, -ita, (adjective) -an

‎China (“China”) + ‎-ese → ‎chinese (“Chinese”)

‎Geneva (“Geneva”) + ‎-ese → ‎genevese (“Genevese”)

‎Francia (“France”) + ‎-ese → ‎francese (“French”)
forms nouns and adjectives from nouns, denoting or pertaining to a language; -ese
Synonyms: (noun) -ano, (adjective) -an

‎China (“China”) + ‎-ese → ‎chinese (“Chinese”)

‎Brooklyn (“Brooklyn”) + ‎-ese → ‎brooklynese (“Brooklynese, Brooklyn dialect”)

Derived terms

Interlingua terms suffixed with -ese

References

Alexander Gode, Hugh E. Blair (1955) Interlingua: A Grammar of the International Language, →ISBN

Italian

Etymology

Inherited from Latin -ēnsem (“originating in”), whence also Italian -ense.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈe.ze/, (traditional) /ˈe.se/
Rhymes: -eze, (traditional) -ese
Hyphenation: -é‧se

Suffix

-ese m

-ese (both senses); -er
‎Libano (“Lebanon”) + ‎-ese → ‎libanese (“Lebanese”)

‎Cina (“China”) + ‎-ese → ‎cinese (“Chinese”)

‎sinistra (“left”) + ‎-ese → ‎sinistrese (“left-wing political jargon”)

‎giornalista (“journalist”) + ‎-ese → ‎giornalistese (“journalese”)

Derived terms

Italian terms suffixed with -ese

Related terms

-esa

[1] See e.g.
“Annamese”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. / “Annamese”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present. / “Annamese”, in Collins English Dictionary. / “Annamese”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.,
“Chinese”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. / “Chinese”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present. / “Chinese”, in Collins English Dictionary. / “Chinese”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.,
“legalese”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. / “legalese”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.,
“Viennese”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. / “Viennese”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present. / “Viennese”, in Collins English Dictionary. / “Viennese”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC., etc.

[1]