-ie

English

Alternative forms

• -ee, -ey

Etymology

Variant spelling of -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /-i/

Suffix

-ie

1. Forming diminutive or affectionate forms of nouns or names.
   • 1869, Louisa May Alcott, An Old-Fashioned Girl:

     "Polly, I wish you 'd let me call you Marie," said Fanny one day, as they were shopping together.
     "You may call me Mary, if you like; but I won't have any ie put on to my name. I'm Polly at home and I'm fond of being called so; but Marie is Frenchified and silly."
     "I spell my own name with an ie, and so do all the girls."
     "And what a jumble of Netties, Nellies, Hatties, and Sallies there is. How 'Pollie' would look spelt so!"

   dear → dearie

   sweet → sweetie

   smile → smilie (also smiley)

   Catherine → Cathie (also Cathi, Cathy); Katherine → Kathie (also Kathi, Kathy)

   Bill → Billie (also Billi, Billy)

3. (occasionally derogatory) Forming colloquial nouns signifying the person associated with suffixed noun or verb.

   bike → bikie

   road → roadie

   surf → surfie

   town → townie

4. Obsolete spelling of -y

Usage notes

The -ie spelling is more common than -y when used to create words for people. Thus hippie is preferred over hippy.

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• EI

Afrikaans

Alternative forms

• -etjie
• -jie
• -kie
• -pie
• -tjie

Etymology

From Dutch -je.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /i/

• Audio

  (file)

Suffix

-ie (plural -ies)

1. Forms a diminutive noun

Usage notes

• The suffix -ie is used in nouns that end in -b, -f, -g, -k, -p, -s. Nouns ending in other sounds use one of the alternative forms above.

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Rhymes: -ɪjɛ

Suffix

-ie f (noun-forming suffix)

1. a suffix denoting a branch of science or study, similar to -ics

   Synonym: -ika

Derived terms

• ekonomie
• ekonometrie
• pediatrie
• psychometrie

See also

• -nomie
• -logie

Further reading

• -ie/-erie/-érie in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017

Dutch

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch -ie, ultimately from Latin -ia.

Suffix

-ie f

2. A variant of -ij

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Ultimately from Latin -iō.

Suffix

-ie f

2. -ion, -y

Derived terms

Etymology 3

An alteration of je in popular speech.

Suffix

-ie n

2. (Netherlands, informal) A variant of -je, a suffix forming diminutive nouns and informal adjectives.

Derived terms

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin -ia, a suffix used to create abstract nouns, and from Ancient Greek -ία (-ía), -εια (-eia).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /i/

• Audio (Lyon, France):

  (file)

Suffix

-ie f (plural -ies)

1. indicates a feminine noun, often an abstract one

Derived terms

Further reading

• “-ie”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Latin

Suffix

-ie

1. vocative masculine singular of -ius

Middle English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Old French -ie, from Latin -ia.

Alternative forms

• -y, -ye, -e

Suffix

-ie

1. A suffix designating abstract or collective nouns, typically of French or Latin origin.

Derived terms

Descendants

• English: -y, -ie

References

• “-i(e, suf.(4).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 20 June 2018.

Etymology 2

Suffix

-ie

1. Alternative form of -y

Etymology 3

Suffix

-ie

1. Alternative form of -yf

Middle French

Suffix

-ie

1. indicates a feminine noun, often an abstract one

Derived terms

Descendants

• French: -ie

Middle High German

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French -ie, from Latin -ia.

Suffix

-īe f

1. used to create female abstract nouns

Descendants

• German: -ei
• Yiddish: ־ײַ (-ay)

Old French

Etymology

From Latin -ia; compare -erie.

Suffix

-ie

1. indicates a feminine noun, often an abstract one

Derived terms

Descendants

• Middle French: -ie
  • French: -ie
• Middle High German: -ie
• Middle English: -ie
  • English: -y, -ie

Old Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /iɛ/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /iɛ/

Suffix

-ie

1. forms adverbs from adjectives

   ‎niewymowny + ‎-ie → ‎niewymownie

Derived terms

See also

• -o

Polish

Alternative forms

• -e

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɛ/
• Rhymes: -ɛ
• Syllabification: ie

Suffix

-ie

1. forms adverbs from adjectives

   ‎wybitny + ‎-ie → ‎wybitnie

Derived terms

See also

• -o

Romanian

Etymology

Probably from Latin -īlia, neuter plural of -īlis. Less likely from Latin -ia. Compare Aromanian -ilji, -ilje.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈi.e/

Suffix

-ie f (plural -ii)

1. Used with a stem to create a (usually abstract) noun relating to it; can be compared to -ship, -hood, -ness, -ity, etc.

Declension

Derived terms

See also

• -ărie
• -eață
• -ime
• -tate
• -ciune

Scots

Alternative forms

• -y

Etymology

From Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic *-g.

Suffix

-ie

2. Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by being appended to a noun.

References

• “-ie, suff.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.