-faction

See also: fraction and faction

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French -faction, from Latin -factiō. This is the ending that arises when forming action nouns using -tiō (equivalent to English -tion) from compound verbs ending in -faciō (“to make, to do”), which carry a causative meaning. For example, liqueō (“to be liquid”) +‎ faciō > liquefaciō (“to make (something) liquid”) > liquefactiō > English liquefaction.

The suffix was later applied to other Latin stems where no Latin verb in -faciō existed (e.g. lubrifaction) and, eventually, even more freely (but see usage notes).

Compare -ification.

Suffix

-faction

The act of creating something, or (more broadly) any process involving the specified thing.
‎lith- (“stone”) + ‎-i- + ‎-faction → ‎lithifaction (“the compaction and cementation of sediment into rock”)

‎aer- (“air”) + ‎-i- + ‎-faction → ‎aerifaction (“aeration, hyperinflation of the lungs”)

Usage notes

Of the English words ending in -faction that are currently in use, almost all were formed as such in Latin. The creation of new English words using -faction was common in Early Modern English, but is now unusual and largely restricted to highly specialised terminology. The equivalent suffix -(i)fication is far more commonly used.