-sis

See also: Appendix:Variations of "sis"

English

Etymology

Ultimately from Ancient Greek -σις (-sis, “forms noun of action”), often via Latin or French. Identical in meaning with Latin -entia, English -ing.

Suffix

-sis (plural -ses)

1. forming nouns of action or process

   catharsis, dialysis, diagnosis, crisis

2. (medicine) forming nouns of condition

   psoriasis, sepsis, tuberculosis, psychosis

3. forming additional nouns

   basis, oasis, thesis, stasis

Usage notes

Not very productive: primarily used for borrowed terms from Ancient Greek, though there are also modern coinages based on Ancient Greek roots.

Derived terms

English terms suffixed with -sis

apotheosis

exulansis

merisis

presbyacusis

Anagrams

• ISS, SSI

Latin

Suffix

-sīs

1. dative/ablative masculine/feminine/neuter plural of -sus

Plains Cree

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Algonquian *-sehs.

Suffix

-sis (Syllabics -ᓯᐢ)

1. Alternative form of -is

Spanish

Suffix

-sis f (noun-forming suffix, plural -sises)

1. -sis

Derived terms

Spanish terms suffixed with -sis

antracosis

artrosis

escoliosis

giardiasis

hiperhidrosis

psicosis

psoriasis

zoonosis

Further reading

• “-sis”, 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