-ez

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ez"

Basque

Etymology 1

Suffix

-ez

1. Instrumental plural suffix.

Declension

Basque inflectional suffixes
		indefinite	singular	plural	proximal plural
absolutive		-∅	-a	-ak	-ok
ergative		-(e)k	-ak	-ek
dative		-(r)i	-ari	-ei	-oi
genitive		-(r)en	-aren	-en	-on
comitative		-(r)ekin	-arekin	-ekin	-okin
causative		-(r)engatik	-arengatik	-engatik	-ongatik
benefactive		-(r)entzat	-arentzat	-entzat	-ontzat
instrumental		-(e)z	-az	-ez	-oz
inessive	anim.	-(r)engan	-arengan	-engan	-ongan
	inanim.	-(e)tan	-an	-etan	-otan
locative	anim.	―	―	―	―
	inanim.	-(e)tako	-(e)ko	-etako	-otako
allative	anim.	-(r)engana	-arengana	-engana	-ongana
	inanim.	-(e)tara	-(e)ra	-etara	-otara
terminative	anim.	-(r)enganaino	-arenganaino	-enganaino	-onganaino
	inanim.	-(e)taraino	-(e)raino	-etaraino	-otaraino
directive	anim.	-(r)enganantz	-arenganantz	-enganantz	-onganantz
	inanim.	-(e)tarantz	-(e)rantz	-etarantz	-otarantz
destinative	anim.	-(r)enganako	-arenganako	-enganako	-onganako
	inanim.	-(e)tarako	-(e)rako	-etarako	-otarako
ablative	anim.	-(r)engandik	-arengandik	-engandik	-ongandik
	inanim.	-(e)tatik	-(e)tik	-etik	-otik
partitive		-(r)ik	―	―	―
prolative		-tzat	―	―	―

Etymology 2

From -e- (epenthetic vowel) +‎ -z (instrumental suffix).

Suffix

-ez

1. Allomorphic post-consonantal form of -z (instrumental indefinite suffix)

Declension

Basque inflectional suffixes
		indefinite	singular	plural	proximal plural
absolutive		-∅	-a	-ak	-ok
ergative		-(e)k	-ak	-ek
dative		-(r)i	-ari	-ei	-oi
genitive		-(r)en	-aren	-en	-on
comitative		-(r)ekin	-arekin	-ekin	-okin
causative		-(r)engatik	-arengatik	-engatik	-ongatik
benefactive		-(r)entzat	-arentzat	-entzat	-ontzat
instrumental		-(e)z	-az	-ez	-oz
inessive	anim.	-(r)engan	-arengan	-engan	-ongan
	inanim.	-(e)tan	-an	-etan	-otan
locative	anim.	―	―	―	―
	inanim.	-(e)tako	-(e)ko	-etako	-otako
allative	anim.	-(r)engana	-arengana	-engana	-ongana
	inanim.	-(e)tara	-(e)ra	-etara	-otara
terminative	anim.	-(r)enganaino	-arenganaino	-enganaino	-onganaino
	inanim.	-(e)taraino	-(e)raino	-etaraino	-otaraino
directive	anim.	-(r)enganantz	-arenganantz	-enganantz	-onganantz
	inanim.	-(e)tarantz	-(e)rantz	-etarantz	-otarantz
destinative	anim.	-(r)enganako	-arenganako	-enganako	-onganako
	inanim.	-(e)tarako	-(e)rako	-etarako	-otarako
ablative	anim.	-(r)engandik	-arengandik	-engandik	-ongandik
	inanim.	-(e)tatik	-(e)tik	-etik	-otik
partitive		-(r)ik	―	―	―
prolative		-tzat	―	―	―

Breton

Suffix

-ez f

1. -ess; suffix forming the feminine of a noun

   ‎kazh (“tomcat”) + ‎-ez → ‎kazhez (“female cat”)

Derived terms

Breton terms suffixed with -ez

French

Etymology

Inherited from Latin -ātis (“second-person plural indicative present suffix for the first conjugation”). Currently used in all second person plural forms (aside from in the past historic) and certain verbs, ousting -ētis (second conjugation), -itis (third conjugation), and -ītis (fourth conjugation).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e/
• Homophones: -ai, -é, -er

Suffix

-ez

1. Forms the second-person plural indicative and imperative of several verb conjugations.

Usage notes

• Apart from the suffix there are only four usual words in -ez: assez, chez, nez, rez. These are also pronounced with final /e/.

Hungarian

Etymology

From -e- (linking vowel) + -z (verb-forming suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɛz]
• Rhymes: -ɛz

Suffix

-ez

1. (verb-forming suffix) Added to a noun to form a verb. Less frequently, it can also be found added onto other parts of speech.

   ‎hely (“place”, noun) + ‎-ez → ‎helyez (“to place”)

   ‎fél (“half”, numeral) + ‎-ez → ‎felez (“to halve”)

   ‎te (“you”, pronoun, informal) + ‎-ez → ‎tegez (“to use the informal te form”)

   ‎ellen (“against”, postposition) + ‎-ez → ‎ellenez (“to oppose”)

   ‎éljen (“long live”, interjection) + ‎-ez → ‎éljenez (“to cheer, applaud”)

Usage notes

• (verb-forming suffix) Variants:

  -z is added to words ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-. Final -e changes to -é-.

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

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

  -ez is added to unrounded (and some rounded) front-vowel words ending in a consonant

  -öz is added to most rounded front-vowel words ending in a consonant

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

Note: Certain words take another, synonymous suffix, -zik/-ozik/-azik/-ezik/-özik or -l/-ol/-al/-el/-öl/-ál.

Derived terms

Hungarian verbs suffixed with -ez

See also

• Appendix:Hungarian suffixes

Ido

Etymology

Borrowed from French -ez.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ez/, /es/

Suffix

-ez

1. suffix forming the imperative

   ‎helpar (“to help”) + ‎-ez → ‎helpez (“help!”)

Middle English

Suffix

-ez

1. Alternative form of -yssh

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈe(j)s/ [ˈe(ɪ̯)s]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈe(j)s/ [ˈe(ɪ̯)s]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈe(j)ʃ/ [ˈe(ɪ̯)ʃ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈeʃ/

Etymology 1

Likely borrowed from Spanish -ez, from Latin -itiem. Doublet of -ice.

Suffix

-ez f (noun-forming suffix, usually uncountable, plural -ezes)

1. -ness (appended to adjectives to form nouns meaning "the state of ...", "the quality of ...", or "the measure of ...")

   Synonyms: -eza, -idade, -idão

Derived terms

Portuguese terms suffixed with -ez

Etymology 2

Suffix

-ez (feminine -eza, plural -ezes, feminine plural -ezas)

1. Archaic spelling of -ês.

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ez/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French -ais, Italian -ese, Greek -έζος (-ézos), from Latin -ensis.

Suffix

-ez m or n (feminine singular -eză, masculine plural -ezi, feminine and neuter plural -eze)

1. Forms nouns and adjectives of nationality:

-ish, -an

• Examples:

englez, olandez, francez, etc.

Declension

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	-ez		-eză		-ezi	-eze
	definite	-ezul		-eza		-ezii	-ezele
genitive- dative	indefinite	-ez		-eze		-ezi	-eze
	definite	-ezului		-ezei		-ezilor	-ezelor

Etymology 2

Inherited from Late Latin -izō.

Used as an infix in Romanian verb conjugations (similarly to how Spanish and Portuguese use the unrelated -ecer from Latin -escere, from -escō (as in parecer, padecer, merecer, etc). The suffix does not appear in the infinitive form of the verb in Romanian. However, the infinitive form of the Romanian suffix can also be found fossilized as part of the infinitive of a few verbs, such as boteza, râncheza, undeza.

The same Vulgar Latin ending resulted in Italian -eggiare, Spanish and Portuguese -ear, Catalan and Occitan -ejar, and French -oyer. The Aromanian equivalent is -edz or -edzu.

Compare also the Romanian suffix later borrowed ultimately from the same source (through French), -iza.

Suffix

-ez

2. used with a stem to form the first-person singular present of some -a (first conjugation) verbs.

   lucra → lucrez

   dura → durez

   frâna → frânez

   vâna → vânez

Related terms

• -ezi
• -ează

See also

• -iza

Spanish

Etymology 1

Unknown. The preferred options are that it was either an internal innovation (from a reanalysis of the genitive in names ending with -ricus, ie. -rici, as naming suffix) or a borrowing from pre-Roman languages (given the various forms the suffix took in the Middle Ages). Compare Portuguese -es.

Alternative forms

• -es

Suffix

-ez m or f by sense (noun-forming suffix, plural -eces)

2. patronymic surname suffix, that forms many Spanish surnames

   ‎Enrique + ‎-ez → ‎Enríquez

   ‎Lope + ‎-ez → ‎López

   ‎Gutierre + ‎-ez → ‎Gutiérrez

   ‎Sancho + ‎-ez → ‎Sánchez

Usage notes

• Spanish patronymics are often formed by substituting "-ez" for a final "o" or "e" in the first name of the father of the person whose surname is so formed. Thus, the son of Hernando becomes "Hernández", the son of Álvaro becomes "Álvarez", and the son of Enrique becomes "Enríquez".

For some Spanish patronymics, the suffix is not -ez but -iz or -oz, as in Ortiz, Muñiz, Muñoz. The name Cortez is not a patronymic but derived from the adjective cortés (“courteous”).

Derived terms

Spanish terms suffixed with -ez (patronymic)

References

LAPESA, Rafael. Historia de la lengua española. (1968).

PIEL, J. M. Sobre os apelidos portugueses do tipo patronímico em-ici/-es. Boletim de Filologia (1963): 59-63.

BOULLÓN AGRELO, Ana Isabel. Cronoloxía e variación das fórmulas patronímicas na Galica altomedieval. Verba 22 (1995): 449-475.

BOBONE, Carlos. Os Apelidos Portugueses-Um Panorama Histórico. Leya, 2017.

Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin -itiēs, an alternative form of -itia. Compare Romanian -ețe, French -esse, Portuguese -ice and Italian -ezza.

Suffix

-ez f (noun-forming suffix, plural -eces)

2. forms nouns of feminine gender from nouns and adjectives, denoting the state of the base term; -hood, -ness, -ty

   ‎niño (“child”) + ‎-ez → ‎niñez (“childhood”)

   ‎viejo (“old”) + ‎-ez → ‎vejez (“old age”)

   ‎estúpido (“stupid”) + ‎-ez → ‎estupidez (“stupidity”)

   ‎gigante (“huge”) + ‎-ez → ‎gigantez (“hugeness”)

Derived terms

Spanish terms suffixed with -ez (noun)

See also

• -eza

Further reading

• “-ez”, 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