From some -ā- stem + -nus; later interpreted as one whole suffix and used freely.
-ānus (feminine -āna, neuter -ānum); first/second-declension suffix
The suffix -ānus is typically added to a noun stem (particularly proper nouns) to form an adjective.
Many such words, however, can be either nouns or adjectives.
-ānus is also often used to form personal names, particularly cognomina, from other names, denoting a patronymic or another relationship of belonging: Domitius → Domitiānus.
It is frequently preceded by the noun stem followed by -i- except in the case of Latin nouns (typically borrowed from Greek) ending -e- or -ae-, where it is preceded by -e- instead.
First/second-declension adjective.
Number | Singular | Plural | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Case / Gender | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
Nominative | -ānus | -āna | -ānum | -ānī | -ānae | -āna | |
Genitive | -ānī | -ānae | -ānī | -ānōrum | -ānārum | -ānōrum | |
Dative | -ānō | -ānō | -ānīs | ||||
Accusative | -ānum | -ānam | -ānum | -ānōs | -ānās | -āna | |
Ablative | -ānō | -ānā | -ānō | -ānīs | |||
Vocative | -āne | -āna | -ānum | -ānī | -ānae | -āna |