Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
-faction. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
-faction, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
-faction in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
-faction you have here. The definition of the word
-faction will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
-faction, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
Borrowed from French -faction, from Latin -factiō. This is the ending that arises when forming action nouns using -tiō (equivalent to English -tion) from compound verbs ending in -faciō (“to make, to do”), which carry a causative meaning. For example, liqueō (“to be liquid”) + faciō > liquefaciō (“to make (something) liquid”) > liquefactiō > English liquefaction.
The suffix was later applied to other Latin stems where no Latin verb in -faciō existed (e.g. lubrifaction) and, eventually, even more freely (but see usage notes).
Compare -ification.
Suffix
-faction
- The act of creating something, or (more broadly) any process involving the specified thing.
- lith- (“stone”) + -i- + -faction → lithifaction (“the compaction and cementation of sediment into rock”)
- aer- (“air”) + -i- + -faction → aerifaction (“aeration, hyperinflation of the lungs”)
Usage notes
Of the English words ending in -faction that are currently in use, almost all were formed as such in Latin. The creation of new English words using -faction was common in Early Modern English, but is now unusual and largely restricted to highly specialised terminology. The equivalent suffix -(i)fication is far more commonly used.
Derived terms
References
Further reading