-ество

Russian

Alternative forms

• -ство (-stvo)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-ьstvo.

Pronunciation

• -ество: IPA^(key):
• -ество́: IPA^(key):

Suffix

-ество or -ество́ • (-estvo or -estvó) n

1. suffix appended to nouns and adjectives to create a neuter noun, usually an abstract noun denoting a relation, social status, scientific discipline, quality or state: -hood, -ness, -ity

   ‎мона́х (monáx, “monk”) + ‎-ество (-estvo) → ‎мона́шество (monášestvo, “monkhood, monasticism”)

   ‎одино́кий (odinókij, “lonely, solitary”) + ‎-ество (-estvo) → ‎одино́чество (odinóčestvo, “loneliness, solitude”)

   ‎мно́го (mnógo, “many”) + ‎-ество (-estvo) → ‎мно́жество (mnóžestvo, “multitude”)

   ‎деви́ца (devíca, “girl”) + ‎-ество (-estvo) → ‎деви́чество (devíčestvo, “girlhood”)

   ‎князь (knjazʹ, “duke”) + ‎-ество (-estvo) → ‎кня́жество (knjážestvo, “duchy”)

   ‎вещь (veščʹ, “thing”) + ‎-ество́ (-estvó) → ‎вещество́ (veščestvó, “substance, matter”)

   ‎бо́жий (bóžij, “divine”) + ‎-ество́ (-estvó) → ‎божество́ (božestvó, “deity, divinity”)

   ‎пра́здный (prázdnyj, “idle”) + ‎-ество (-estvo) → ‎пра́зднество (prázdnestvo, “festivity, celebration”) (originally "idleness")

   ‎есть (jestʹ, “there is”) + ‎-ество́ (-estvó) → ‎естество́ (jestestvó, “nature, essence”)

Usage notes

• This suffix is used particularly after the hushing consonants ч ж ш щ, which may result from the Slavic first palatalization applied to nouns whose roots end in к/ц г х ск respectively (or which originally ended in one of these consonants, cf. князь (knjazʹ) < Proto-Germanic *kuningaz). It is also occasionally used when impossible clusters would otherwise result, cf. пра́зднество (prázdnestvo) < пра́здный (prázdnyj) and естество́ (jestestvó) from есть (jestʹ).
• The longer suffix -шество (-šestvo) was generalized through rebracketing of nouns with roots ending in х.

Declension

Derived terms

Related terms

• -шество (-šestvo)