-кий

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Russian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-ьkъ, *-ъkъ, *-kъ? (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

Suffix

-кий (-kij)

  1. -y, -ous: Used to form qualitative adjectives from verbs and nouns, with the meaning "having the characteristic of X".
    -цепи́ть (-cepítʹ, to catch, to grasp) + ‎-кий (-kij) → ‎це́пкий (cépkij, prehensile; tenacious)
    лома́ть (lomátʹ, to break) + ‎-кий (-kij) → ‎ло́мкий (lómkij, brittle, breakable)
    дерза́ть (derzátʹ, to dare) + ‎-кий (-kij) → ‎де́рзкий (dérzkij, daring, audacious; brazen, impertinent)
    вес (ves, weight) + ‎-кий (-kij) → ‎ве́ский (véskij, weighty, heavy; significant)
    гул (gul, boom, rumble) + ‎-кий (-kij) → ‎гу́лкий (gúlkij, booming, resonant)
  2. Used to form primary qualitative adjectives from adjectival roots, which often occur without the suffix in related words.
    у́зкий (úzkij, narrow, tight) (compare у́зость (úzostʹ, narrowness))
    кре́пкий (krépkij, strong, sturdy) (compare кре́пость (krépostʹ, strength), крепи́ть (krepítʹ, to strengthen))
    широ́кий (širókij, wide, broad, extensive) (compare широта́ (širotá, width, extent))
    далёкий (daljókij, far; clever) (compare да́лее (dáleje, farther), да́льний (dálʹnij, far, remote))

Usage notes

  • This suffix is not productive when forming primary adjectives, and may not be productive when forming adjectives from verbs and nouns.
  • Adjectives with this suffix have short forms according to various accent patterns; types c', c and a' are the most common. If a consonant precedes the suffix, the short masculine singular is (de)reducible, i.e. it takes an epenthetic vowel before the к.
  • Comparatives regularly end in -че (-če) instead of the normal -ее (-eje) of most adjectives, but many of these comparatives are rare and awkward. Many primary adjectives have irregular comparatives, often formed directly off of the root, e.g. у́же (úže) from у́зкий (úzkij), ши́ре (šíre) from широ́кий (širókij), да́льше (dálʹše) from далёкий (daljókij).

Declension

Derived terms

See also