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-ain. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
-ain, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
-ain in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
-ain you have here. The definition of the word
-ain will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
-ain, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
French
Etymology
Inherited from Old French -ain, from Latin -ānus, whence also French -an and -ien.
Pronunciation
Suffix
-ain m (plural -ains, feminine -aine)
- suffix used to form noun (uppercase) demonyms
- Jamaïque + -ain → Jamaïcain
- Mexique + -ain → Mexicain
- suffix used to form adjective (lowercase) demonyms
- Jamaïque + -ain → jamaïcain
- Mexique + -ain → mexicain
- indicates the old oblique case (cas régime) of certain nouns
- pute + -ain → putain
Derived terms
Old French
Etymology
From Latin -ānus.
Suffix
-ain
- Forms the oblique case, especially for feminine nouns.
- pute + -ain → putain
- none + -ain → nonain
- Forms adjectives from nouns.
- castel + -ain → castelain
Descendants