后缀¶
英语中最常用的 46 个后缀。后缀通常决定单词的词性，含义列中的「～」代表词根或词干。词源和词性缩写见符号说明。
后缀与词性¶
后缀是判断词性最直接的线索。有些后缀只构成一种词性（如 -ness 一定是名词），有些后缀能构成多种词性（如 -ate 可以是形容词、名词或动词）。下图中，圆圈重叠的部分就是能构成多种词性的后缀：
词性变化关系¶
把单词的后缀换掉，就能把它变成另一种词性。比如形容词 active 把后缀 -ive 换成 -ity，就变成了名词 activity。下图中箭头的方向就是词性变化的方向：
形容词 → 名词¶
| 形容词后缀 | 名词后缀 | 例子 |
|---|---|---|
| -able / -ible | -ability / -ibility | readable（可读的）→ readability（可读性） visible（可见的）→ visibility（可见度） |
| -ant / -ent | -ance / -ence | dominant（占优势的）→ dominance（优势） persistent（坚持的）→ persistence（坚持） |
| -al | -ity / -ation | formal（正式的）→ formality（正式） real（真实的）→ reality（现实） |
| -ic | -ism / -ity | heroic（英勇的）→ heroism（英雄主义） electric（电的）→ electricity（电） |
| -ive | -ion / -ity | active（活跃的）→ action（行动）/ activity（活动） creative（有创造力的）→ creation（创造）/ creativity（创造力） |
| -ous | -ion / -osity | curious（好奇的）→ curiosity（好奇心） generous（慷慨的）→ generosity（慷慨） cautious（谨慎的）→ caution（谨慎） ambitious（有雄心的）→ ambition（雄心） |
动词 → 名词¶
| 动词后缀 | 名词后缀 | 例子 |
|---|---|---|
| -ate | -ation | create（创造）→ creation（创造） educate（教育）→ education（教育） |
| -ify | -ification | clarify（澄清）→ clarification（澄清） simplify（简化）→ simplification（简化） |
| -ize | -ization | organize（组织）→ organization（组织） modernize（使现代化）→ modernization（现代化） |
名词 → 形容词¶
| 名词后缀 | 形容词后缀 | 例子 |
|---|---|---|
| -or / -er | -ory / -ary | auditor（旁听者）→ auditory（听觉的） supervisor（主管）→ supervisory（监督的） |
| -ist | -istic | artist（艺术家）→ artistic（艺术的） optimist（乐观者）→ optimistic（乐观的） |
| 名词本身 | -y | milk（牛奶）→ milky（乳白色的） silk（丝绸）→ silky（丝滑的） water（水）→ watery（水汪汪的） |
名词 → 动词¶
| 名词后缀 | 动词后缀 | 例子 |
|---|---|---|
| -th | -en | strength（力量）→ strengthen（加强） length（长度）→ lengthen（延长） |
动词 → 形容词¶
| 动词后缀 | 形容词后缀 | 例子 |
|---|---|---|
| -e / -ate | -able / -ible | compare（比较）→ comparable（可比较的） irritate（激怒）→ irritable（易怒的） |
后缀表¶
A¶
| 后缀 | 词性 | 词源 | 含义 | 示例 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -able（-ible） | a. | F, L | that can be～ed; able to be～ed | adjustable, exchangeable, credible, comfortable, reasonable, reliable, variable, durable | |
| -age | n. | F, L | ① the act or result of～ing ② a group of or a place for～s; the condition of～ |
breakage, marriage, postage, baggage, orphanage | |
| -al（-ial，-ical，-ual） | a. & n. | L | a. of～；like～；having the nature of～ n. the act of～ing |
national, mental, oral, arrival, denial, criminal, proposal | |
| -ance（-ancy） | n. | L | the act or fact of～ing; the state or quality of being～ed; a thing that～s; what is～ed | appearance, annoyance | |
| -ant | a. & n. | F, L | a. that～s；～ing n. a person or thing that～s |
accordant(accordance), distant(distance), vacant(vacancy), assistant, disinfectant, merchant | 凡以-ant结尾的形容词常有与之对应的以-ance或-ancy结尾的名词 |
| -ar（-ular，-icular） | a. & n. | L | a. of～；like～；having the nature of～ n. one that is connected with～ |
a. lunar, nuclear, familiar, popular, n. cellar, grammar |
做a.时与-al含义相同 |
| -ary | a. & n. | L | n. a place for～; a collection of～s; a person or thing connected with～ a. of～；being～；characterized by～ |
n. depositary, formulary, library, boundary, secretary, dictionary a. honorary, secondary, military, vocabulary |
|
| -ate | a. & n. & v. | L | a. of～; having～; like～ v. to become～or cause to be～; to produce～; to supply or treat with～; to combine with～ n. salt made from～, etc. |
fortunate, liberate, oxygenate, terminate, accumulate, calculate, isolate |
D¶
| 后缀 | 词性 | 词源 | 含义 | 示例 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -dom | n. | OE | ① the rank or realm of～; all who are～s; ② the condition or fact of being～ |
kingdom, freedom, wisdom |
E¶
| 后缀 | 词性 | 词源 | 含义 | 示例 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ed | a. | OE | having～; having the characteristics of～ | coloured, gifted | |
| -ee | n. | OF | a person who is～ed; a person to whom sth. is～ed; a person who～s | employee, mortgagee, donee | |
| -en | a. & v. | OE | v. ① to cause to be～; ② to cause to have～ a. made of～; having the look of～ |
sharpen, soften, strengthen, lengthen, wooden, ashen | |
| -ence（-ency） | n. | F, L | the act or fact of～ing; the quality or condition of～ing | dependence, difference, effluence, currency, pungency, urgency | 与-ance(-ancy)基本相同，表示行为或该行为的性质状态 |
| -ent | a. & n. | L | a. that～s; ～ing n. one that～s |
absorbent, orient, patient(n. patience), agent(agency), convenient | 用法与-ant相似，a. 形式往往有对应的以-ence或-ency结尾的表行为的名词 |
| -er | n. | OE | ①a person or thing that～s ②a person living in～; a person who makes or works with～; a person who has～ |
admirer, bomber, farmer, philosopher, banker, singer, dancer, teacher, leader | |
| -ery | n. | OF | ①a place for～ing ②a place for～s; the art or occupation of a～; the condition, quality or action of a～; a group of～s |
bakery, slavery, cemetery, surgery |
F¶
| 后缀 | 词性 | 词源 | 含义 | 示例 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ful | a. & n. | OE | a. full of～; showing～; having the qualities of～; that can be of～ n. as much as a～can fill（跟在表容器、空间的名词后，表一...的容量） |
cheerful, careful, harmful, useful, spoonful, boxful, dishful | |
| -fy（-ify，-efy） | v. | L | to make～, to cause to be～; to become～ | beautify, classify, solidify, rarefy, identify, notify |
H¶
| 后缀 | 词性 | 词源 | 含义 | 示例 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -hood | n. | OE | the state or quality of～; the character of～; a group or body of～s; a concrete instance of～ | boyhood, neighbourhood | 通常加在n.或a.后构成n. |
I¶
| 后缀 | 词性 | 词源 | 含义 | 示例 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ic | a. & n. | F, L, GK | a. of～; having the nature of～; being～; made up of～; made or caused by～; like～ n. an art or system of thought; a person connected with～ |
atmospheric, heroic, alcoholic, logic, music, atomic, classic, economic, electric, topic | -ic最早源于希腊语，因此-ic结尾的形容词在医药与化学很常见，如 allergic, amoebic, analgesic, cosmetic, endemic, epidemic 许多学科名词以-ics的复数形式构成，如 acoustics, dynamics, economics, electronics, eugenics, hygienics, magnetics, optics, phonetics, physics |
| -ion | n. | L | the act or process of～ing; the result of～ing; the condition of being～ed; a thing or process that～s | attraction, calculation, collection, fascination, connection, decision, admission, competition, resolution, collision, division, certification | |
| -ish | a. | ME | ①like～; of～; tending to～; about or slightly past～ ②somewhat～ |
childish, girlish, foolish, bookish, seventyish, eightish, coldish, reddish, abolish, astonish, distinguish, finish, publish, punish, vanish | 构成许多国家的形容词，如 English, Danish, Finnish, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish |
| -ism | n. | GK | ①the doctrine, theory or system of～; a disease caused by～ ②the quality or condition of being～; instance of being～ |
optimism, pessimism, pragmatism, revanchism, utopianism, theism, expansionism, communism, socialism, capitalism, liberalism, Darwinism | 表...主义。与-ism对应的a.后缀是-ist |
| -ist | n. | typist, journalist, artist | 表示从事某种职业的人。其他表示职业的后缀：-er/-or(teacher, actor, writer, director), -ian(musician), -ant/-ent(accountant, student, assistant), -grapher(photographer, biographer) | ||
| -ite | n. | F, L, GK | ①an inhabitant of～; a descendant of～; a supporter or follower of～; a person associated with～ ② a mineral species; a fossil; an explosive; a chemical product |
Israelite, Islamite, laborite, lignite | |
| -ity（-ty，-ety） | n. | OF, L | the condition, quality or fact of being～ | density, laxity, sincerity, unity, beauty, liberty, safety, humility, quality, sensibility | 使用频率与-ion不相上下。-ion主要与v.结合构成名词，-ity则只与a.构成n.。 -ity常与形容词后缀结合，如-acity，-ality，-anity，-arity，-ability（＝-able＋-ity），-ibility（＝-ible＋-ity），-idity，-ility（＝-ile＋-ity），-ivity（＝-ive＋-ity），-ocity，-osity（＝-ous＋-ity） |
| -ive | a. | OF, L | ～ing; having the quality of～ing; tending to～ | decisive, expensive, native, competitive | 表示与该行为有关的性质与倾向等 |
| -ize（-ise） | v. | F, L, GK | to make～; to become～; to engage in or use～; to treat in the way of～; to act like～ | criticize, capitalize, civilize | -ize构成的动词多是及物动词，不及物动词为数很少。与-ize对应的表示行为与行为者的名词后缀常常是-ization与-izer |
L¶
| 后缀 | 词性 | 词源 | 含义 | 示例 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -less | a. | OE | ①without～; lacking～; free from～ ②that never～s; that cannot be～ed |
homeless, rainless, painless, tireless, countless,harmless, childless, fearless, hopeless, useless | |
| -logy | n. | GK | the doctrine, study or science of～; the speech or discussion of～ | biology(biologist, biological), geology(geologist, geological), philology(philologist), zoology(zoological, zoologist) | 最常用的术语后缀之一，有时需要依靠连接字母-o-帮助构词 |
| -ly | a. | ME | like a～; characteristic of～; suited to～; occuring once a～; of or being a～ | hourly, yearly, monthly, weekly, heavenly, friendly, daily, lively, lonely, lovely | -ly作为本族语的副词后缀，几乎可以加在一切形容词后面，表示状态（如cheerfully）、方式（如financially）、程度（如greatly）、方向（如northwardly）、次序（如thirdly）、时间（如recently）等 |
M¶
| 后缀 | 词性 | 词源 | 含义 | 示例 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ment | n. | OF, L | the act or state or fact of～ing; the condition of being～ed; the product or result of～ing; the cause or means of～ing | enjoyment, government, fragment, instrument, payment, development, apartment, basement, document |
N¶
| 后缀 | 词性 | 词源 | 含义 | 示例 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ness | n. | ME | the quality or condition of being～; ～action or behaviour; an instance of being～ | blackness, kindness, business, illness,happiness, witness |
O¶
| 后缀 | 词性 | 词源 | 含义 | 示例 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -or | n. | L | a person or thing that～s | actor, conductor, doctor, tractor, author | 与-er一样，-or也是最重要的表行为者的名词后缀 |
| -ory | a. & n. | OF | n. a place of～ing; a thing used for～ing a.～ing; characterized by～ion; tending or serving to～ |
depository, factory, repository, observatory, directory, advisory, contributory, crematory | 由or与-y组成，而非ory后缀的单词：category, glory, history, memory, victory |
| -our（-or） | n. | F, L | the act, state, quality or characteristics of～ing | labo(u)r, colo(u)r, error | 英语常用-our，美国常用-or |
| -ous | a. | L | having～, full of～; characterized by～, having the nature of～; having to do with～; of～; like～; practising～ | joyous, thunderous, anxious, obvious, famous, dangerous, curious, ridiculous | 有时-ous可直接与拉丁语源的动词结合，如 continuous(continue), various(vary) |
R¶
| 后缀 | 词性 | 词源 | 含义 | 示例 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ry | n. | OF | ①the occupation of a～; the act of a～; the quality or condition of a～; a collection of～s ②a place for～ |
dentistry, poultry, pantry | -ry主要用在以t, d, l, n, sh, w等字母结尾的可数名词或名词性词根后面，构成名词 |
S¶
| 后缀 | 词性 | 词源 | 含义 | 示例 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ship | n. | OE | the position or occupation of～; the quality or condition of being～; the act or skill of～; the relation between～s; the number of～s | authorship, governorship, friendship, partnership | |
| -some | a. | OE | ①causing～; ②tending to～; ③～to a considerable degree |
handsome | - some作名词后缀与数词相结合时，意为a group of，如twosome, threesome -some作为术语后缀，意为-body，如 chromosome, monosome |
T¶
| 后缀 | 词性 | 词源 | 含义 | 示例 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -th | n. | OE | ①number～in order; ②the action or process of～ing; ③the quality or condition of being～ |
growth, birth, coolth, length, health, sixth, depth, width, truth, wealth, youth |
U¶
| 后缀 | 词性 | 词源 | 含义 | 示例 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ure | n. | F, L | the act or fact of～ing; the condition of being～ed; the result of being～ed; sth. that～s or is～ed | failure, pleasure, exposure, disclosure, culture, flexure, nature, picture, closure, pressure, creature, figure, temperature, gesture, leisure, structure, treasure |
W¶
| 后缀 | 词性 | 词源 | 含义 | 示例 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ward（s） | a. & ad. | OE | tending to～; in the direction of～; toward～ | backward, forward, afterward, northward, upward | toward 是介词 |
| -wise | ad. | OE | in a～manner; like a～; in the direction of～; in the～respect | likewise, otherwise, clockwise, lengthwise | 现代英语中，in the – respect用的较多 |
Y¶
| 后缀 | 词性 | 词源 | 含义 | 示例 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -y | n. | ME, OF, L | ①the act of～ing; ②the condition or quality of being～; a group of～s; ③ ～condition or quality |
delivery, discovery, victory, jealousy, history, inquiry, expiry, entry | -y 在人或动物n.后，表示可爱的小...，如 daddy, doggy, kitty, missy -y 做术语后缀，如 anatomy, botany, philosophy, photography |
| -y（-ey） | a. | OE | ①full of～; containing～; characterized by～; resembling～; ②somewhat～; ③inclined to～ |
cloudy, salty, funny, chilly, sleepy, bloody, dirty, guilty, risky, easy, doggy, mousey, handy, healthy, smoky, sexy, windy, woody | 气候形容词多以-y结尾，如cloudy, windy, rainy |