-ren

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word -ren. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word -ren, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say -ren in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word -ren you have here. The definition of the word -ren will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of-ren, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ren"

English

Etymology

Back-formation from children and brethren.

Suffix

-ren

(chiefly nonstandard, humorous) Used to form the plural of nouns
- 2006, Timothy White, Catch a fire: the life of Bob Marley:
  As Ciddy and child had slept soundly under Omeriah's roof, a group of young "kidren" playing outside sang a "ring song" […]
- 2006, Alex Wheatle, Island songs:
  Unruly kidren would fling rockstone after him.
- 2008, Douglas Sarine, Kent Nichols, The Ninja Handbook:
  This exercise will help you develop the skills to tell your ninja brethren (and sistren and thingren) apart. Simply match the name of each famous ninja with his/her/its deadly eyes.

Usage notes

In Standard English, this suffix occurs only in children. Some non-standard uses can be found in dialects, such as calveren (“calves”), lambren (“lambs”), etc. In brethren and sistren, the suffix is -en, with the -r- coming from the stem of the word (brother, sister).

Derived terms

English terms suffixed with -ren

Anagrams

-ern, -ner-, Ern, NRE, RNE, ern, ner

Wikious

Boobota

Sagapedia