-el

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English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Middle English -el, from Old English -el, from Proto-Germanic *-ilaz.

Alternative forms

Suffix

-el

  1. Suffix forming nouns, originally denoting an instrument, from verbs, usually spelt -le except after n and e.
    runnel, shovel, dotel
  2. Diminutive suffix in words of Germanic origin.
    hatchel, hovel, gomeral

Etymology 2

From Middle English -el, a merger of two suffixes:

Suffix

-el

  1. Suffix, originally diminutive, in words of mostly Romance origin.
    cupel, chapel, tunnel
Derived terms

Anagrams

Abenaki

Suffix

-el

  1. Used on verbs, together with the prefix k-, to indicate that the first person singular (I) is the actor and the second person singular (you) is the object of the verb.
    n'kezalmô
    I love
    k'kezalmel
    I love you (singular)

Usage notes

The suffix is spelled -ol by some writers.

See also

Breton

Etymology

Cf. French -el (e.g. sexuel, individuel, industriel)

Suffix

-el

  1. To make an adjective of a noun; -al
    broad (nation) + ‎-el → ‎broadel (national)

Derived terms

Czech

Pronunciation

Suffix

-el f (noun-forming suffix)

  1. forms nouns
    koupat + ‎-el → ‎koupel

Derived terms

Further reading

  • -el in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017

Danish

Pronunciation

Suffix

-el

  1. -al

Derived terms

Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *-el, from Proto-West Germanic *-il, from Proto-Germanic *-ilaz. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term. probably more than one etymology involved

Pronunciation

Suffix

-el (unproductive)

  1. forms diminutive nouns
    koren + ‎-el → ‎korrel
  2. forms noun denoting an instrument
    Synonym: -er
    sluiten + ‎-el → ‎sleutel

Derived terms

Esperanto

Pronunciation

  • Audio:(file)

Suffix

-el

  1. in way
    -el is the ending for correlatives of manner or degree

Derived terms

  • kiel (in what way, in what manner, how)
  • tiel (in that way, in that manner, thus)
  • ĉiel (in every way, in every manner)
  • iel (in some way, in some manner, somehow)
  • neniel (in no way, nohow)
  • (nonce) aliel (in another way, somehow else)

Franco-Provençal

Pronoun

-el f

  1. postpositive form of el

French

Etymology

    Inherited from Old French -el, from Latin -ālis. Doublet of -al.

    Pronunciation

    Suffix

    -el (feminine -elle, masculine plural -els, feminine plural -elles)

    1. forms adjectives from nouns: -al

    Derived terms

    Descendants

    • Danish: -el
    • Dutch: -eel
      • Afrikaans: -eel
      • Indonesian: -il
    • German: -ell
    • Norwegian Bokmål: -ell
    • Norwegian Nynorsk: -ell
    • Swedish: -ell
    • Turkish: -sel
    • Yiddish: ־על (-el)

    See also

    German

    Etymology

    From Middle High German -el, from Old High German -il, direct descendant of Proto-West Germanic *-il, from Proto-Germanic *-ilaz, or from dialectal variants of -lein, which as well ultimately go back to *-ilaz or to *-ilingaz.

    Pronunciation

    Suffix

    -el n

    1. suffix in diminutives (regional)
      Kind (child) + ‎-el → ‎Kindel (little child, darling)
      Haus (house) + ‎-el → ‎Häusel (little house)
    2. suffix in nouns indicating appurtenance
      Arm (arm) + ‎-el → ‎Ärmel (sleeve)
      Eiche (oak) + ‎-el → ‎Eichel (acorn)
    3. suffix in agent and instrumental nouns
      Büttel, Meißel, Weisel

    Derived terms

    Further reading

    • -el” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

    Hungarian

    Etymology

    From -e- +‎ -l.

    Pronunciation

    Suffix

    -el

    1. (personal suffix) Forms the second-person singular present tense of verbs ending in s, sz, z, dz (indicative mood, indefinite conjugation).
      keres (to seek) + ‎-el → ‎keresel (you seek, you are seeking)
    2. (verb-forming suffix) Added to a noun to form a verb.
      ebéd (lunch) + ‎-el → ‎ebédel (to eat lunch)
    3. (noun-forming suffix) Added to a verb to form a noun. No longer productive in this role.
      lep (to cover) + ‎-el → ‎lepel (wrap)

    Usage notes

    • (personal suffix) Variants:
      -sz added to verbs not in the categories listed below
      vár (to wait) + ‎-sz → ‎vársz (you wait, you are waiting)
      -asz added to back-vowel verbs ending in two consonants or -ít
      hall (to hear) + ‎-asz → ‎hallasz (you hear, you are hearing)
      tanít (to teach) + ‎-asz → ‎tanítasz (you teach, you are teaching)
      -esz added to front-vowel verbs ending in two consonants or -ít
      dönt (to decide) + ‎-esz → ‎döntesz (you decide, you are deciding)
      segít (to help) + ‎-esz → ‎segítesz (you help, you are helping)
      -ol added to back-vowel verbs ending in s, sz, z, dz
      olvas (to read) + ‎-ol → ‎olvasol (you read, you are reading)
      -el added to unrounded front-vowel verbs ending in s, sz, z, dz
      vesz (to buy) + ‎-el → ‎veszel (you buy, you are buying)
      -öl added to rounded front-vowel verbs ending in s, sz, z, dz
      főz (to cook) + ‎-öl → ‎főzöl (you cook, you are cooking)
    • (verb-forming suffix) Variants:
      -l is added to words ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-. Final -e changes to -é-. Final long vowels may shorten, e.g. űü.
      -ol is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant
      -al is added to other back-vowel words ending in a consonant
      -el is added to unrounded (and some rounded) front-vowel words ending in a consonant
      -öl is added to most rounded front-vowel words ending in a consonant
      -ál is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant

    Note: Certain words take another, synonymous suffix, -z/-oz/-az/-ez/-öz/-áz or -zik/-ozik/-azik/-ezik/-özik.

    • (noun-forming suffix) Variants:
      -al is added to back-vowel words
      -el is added to front-vowel words

    Derived terms

    See also

    Low German

    Etymology 1

    From Middle Low German -el, from Old Saxon -il, from Proto-Germanic *-ilaz.

    Suffix

    -el m

    1. Suffix forming nouns originally denoting an agent from verbs.
      Lepel, Snavel, Stickel

    Etymology 2

    From Middle Low German -ling. Result of resegmentation of nouns with -el and -ing suffixes. See the English suffix -ling. Akin to English, Dutch and German -ling.

    Suffix

    -el m

    1. A suffix that describes a male person (or other creature) in terms of a place of origin or a quality, as defined by the root to which it is added. Now often replaced by a compound with Jung for a male person, and Deern for a female person such as Lehrjung, Lehrdeern (male/female pupil).
    Derived terms

    Middle English

    Etymology 1

    From Old English -el, -ol, from Proto-West Germanic *-ul, from Proto-Germanic *-ulaz.

    Alternative forms

    Pronunciation

    Suffix

    -el

    1. Forms adjectives meaning "tending to" or "able to" from verbs.
    Derived terms
    Descendants
    References

    Etymology 2

    From Old English -el, -ol, from Proto-West Germanic *-il, from Proto-Germanic *-ilaz.

    Alternative forms

    Pronunciation

    Suffix

    -el

    1. Forms diminutives from verbs or other nouns.
    2. Forms agent nouns from verbs or other nouns.
    Derived terms
    Descendants
    References

    Etymology 3

    From Old French -el, -ele, from Latin -ālis and -ellus, -ella.

    Alternative forms

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /-ˈɛːl(ə)/, /-ɛl(ə)/

    Suffix

    -el

    1. Forms diminutives from verbs or other nouns.
    Derived terms
    Descendants

    Etymology 4

    Suffix

    -el

    1. Alternative form of -al

    Etymology 5

    Suffix

    -el

    1. Alternative form of -elen

    Norman

    Etymology

    From Old French -el, from Latin -ālis.

    Suffix

    -el

    1. makes an adjectival form of a noun; -al

    Derived terms

    Old English

    Pronunciation

    Etymology 1

    From Proto-Germanic *-a-l-.

    Suffix

    -el

    1. Alternative form of -ol

    Etymology 2

    From Proto-Germanic *-ilaz.

    Alternative forms

    Suffix

    -el

    1. (causes i-mutation) agent and instrumental suffix creating nouns from verbs
      crēopan (to creep) + ‎-el → ‎crypel (cripple)
      bēodan (to command) + ‎-el → ‎bydel (herald, messenger)
      spittan (to dig) + ‎-el → ‎spitel (shovel)
      hladan (to lade) + ‎-el → ‎hlædel (ladle)
      þrēapian (to reprove, reprehend) + ‎-el → ‎þrīpel (instrument of punishment, cross)
    Declension
    singular plural
    nominative -el -elas, -las
    accusative -el -elas, -las
    genitive -eles, -les -ela, -la
    dative -ele, -le -elum, -lum
    Descendants

    Old French

    Pronunciation

    Etymology 1

      Inherited from Latin -ālis, from Proto-Italic *-ālis.

      Suffix

      -el

      1. used to form an adjective
      Descendants

      Etymology 2

      From Latin -ellus.

      Suffix

      -el

      1. used to form a diminutive
      Descendants

      Polish

      Etymology

      (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

      Pronunciation

      Suffix

      -el m

      1. forms masculine agent nouns
        śmierdzieć + ‎-el → ‎śmierdziel

      Declension

      Masculine personal:

      Masculine animate:

      Masculine inanimate:

      Derived terms

      Further reading

      • -el in Polish dictionaries at PWN

      Romani

      Suffix

      -el

      1. Forms the third-person singular present indicative of consonantal oikoclitic verbs

      Romanian

      Etymology

      Inherited from Latin -ellus.

      Pronunciation

      Suffix

      -el m (plural -ei, feminine -ea, feminine plural -ele)

      1. used to form a masculine diminutive of a word (e.g. băiat (boy) + ‎-el → ‎băiețel (little boy)
        Synonyms: -uș, -aș, -uț, -șor

      Declension

      singular plural
      indefinite definite indefinite definite
      nominative-accusative -el -elul -ei -eii
      genitive-dative -el -elului -ei -eilor
      vocative -elule -eilor

      Derived terms

      Turkish

      Pronunciation

      Etymology 1

      preceding vowel
      A / I / O / U E / İ / Ö / Ü
      -al -el

      A variation of -il (derives deverbals and denominals), from Proto-Turkic *-il or Proto-Turkic *-gil. Both variants are likely merged with homophonic -il (derives adjectives for onomatopoeia and colors).
      See şırıltı (onomatopoeia for flowing water), kızıl (red) and yeşil (green).
      For words from using the same suffix, see güzel (beautiful), tombul (chubby), tükel (complete, perfect), kutsal (holy, sacred), çatal (fork) and çakıl (gravel).
      Perhaps influenced by French -al, whence -sel as in göksel or işitsel but not kutsal.[1]

      Suffix

      -el

      1. Derives adjectives from nouns and verbs.
        özel (private, special) from öz (self)
      Derived terms

      Etymology 2

      preceding vowel
      A / I / O / U E / İ / Ö / Ü
      -al -el

      From Ottoman Turkish ـال (-al, -el) or ـل (-l), a combination of Proto-Turkic *-(g)a (verb-forming suffix) and *-il (passive suffix).[2][3]

      Suffix

      -el

      1. Derives intransitive verbs from adjectives.
        ince (thin) + ‎-l → ‎(int.) incelmek (to thin)
        dar (narrow) + ‎-al → ‎(int.) daralmak (to narrow)
        çok (many, much) + ‎-al → ‎(int.) çoğalmak (to multiply)
        düz (straight) + ‎-el → ‎(int.) düzelmek (to straighten)
        kısa (short) + ‎-al → ‎(int.) kısalmak (to shorten)
        yön (direction) + ‎-el → ‎(int.) yönelmek (to face, to turn towards)
        diri (alive, not dead) + ‎-l → ‎(int.) dirilmek (to come alive, to come back to life)
      Derived terms

      References

      1. ^ Lewis, Geoffrey (1999) The Turkish Language Reform: A Catastrophic Success, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, page 102
      2. ^ Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–), "+Al-" - in Nişanyan Sözlük
      3. ^ Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “-al”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 184

      Volapük

      Suffix

      -el

      1. Used to indicate a maker of a certain thing.

      Derived terms