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-ean. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
-ean, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
-ean in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
-ean you have here. The definition of the word
-ean will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
-ean, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Latin -ānus, following Latin stems ending in -e(us), -ē(us) (many from Ancient Greek -ηιος), or -æ(us) (many from -αιος).
Pronunciation
Suffix
-ean
- Forms adjectives, usually from proper nouns.
Usage notes
- Almost all English words ending in "ean" are originally from Latin (Caesarean) or Greek (Euclidean). A few were later formed by adding -an to a stem or word ending in -ea (Korean), -es (Andean), or a silent -e (Boolean).
- Prescriptively, the suffix should be stressed if the word derives from a Latin stem ending in -ē(us) or -æ(us), and unstressed otherwise, but in practice in many words it has both pronunciations.
Derived terms
Anagrams
Aromanian
Etymology
From Proto-Slavic *-ěninъ.
Suffix
-ean m (feminine singular -eanã, masculine plural -eanj or -enj, feminine plural -eani or -eane)
- Forms adjectives and nouns indicating origin or place of birth (such as from a certain city or region).
- Pindu (“Pindus”) + -ean → pindean (“pindian”)
- Gramusti (“Grammos village”) + -ean → grãmustean (“Grammostian”)
Derived terms
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from Old Church Slavonic -ѣнинъ (-ěninŭ), from Proto-Slavic *-ěninъ. Might also be conflated with Latin -iānus.
Pronunciation
Suffix
-ean m or n (feminine singular -eană or -eancă, masculine plural -eni, feminine and neuter plural -ene or -eance)
- Forms adjectives and nouns indicating origin or place of birth (such as from a certain city or region), or occasionally nationality.
- Ardeal (“Transylvania”) + -ean → ardelean (“Transylvanian”)
- București (“Bucharest”) + -ean → bucureștean (“Bucharestian”)
Usage notes
-eancă is often used instead of -eană to form feminine nouns.
Declension
Derived terms
See also
Spanish
Suffix
-ean
- third-person plural present indicative of -ear