-EE, noun suffix, one who or that which is (passive), as trust_ee_, legat_ee_. In such words as absent_ee_, devot_ee_, the old function of _-ee_ is entirely lost; refug_ee_ is adopted from Fr. _refugie_, grand_ee_ from Sp. _grande_. [Fr. _-e_--L. _-[=a]tus_, suffix of pa.p.]
-EER, -IER, one who, has frequentative meaning, as chariot_eer_; also -ER, -AR, as in carpent_er_, vic_ar_. [Fr. _-ier_---L. _-arius_.]
-EL, dim., as dams_el_. [See under -l.]
-EN, dim., as chick_en_, maid_en_. [A.S. _-en_.]
-EN, fem. suffix, now found only in vix_en_. [A.S. _-en_, _-n_; Ger. _-in_, Gr. _-ine_, L. _-ina_.]
-EN, added to noun-stems to form adjectives chiefly indicating the material of which a thing is composed. From the 16th century onwards there has been a tendency to discard these adjectives for the attributive use of the substantive, as in 'a gold watch;' only a few words are still familiarly used in their literal sense--earth_en_, wheat_en_, wood_en_, wooll_en_.
[A.S. _-en_; Goth. _-en_, _-an_, Ger. _-en_, _-ein_, Sans. _-um_; a genitive suffix, as in mi_ne_.]
-EN, pa.p., as wov_en_, bor_ne_, swo_rn_. [A.S. _-n_, _-ne_, _-en_; conn.
with _-ant_, _-ent_.]
-EN, pl. suffix, as ox_en_, ki_ne_ (for M. E. _kyen_--A.S. _c_, pl. of _cu_, a cow). [A.S. _-an_.]
-EN, to make, as dark_en_, moist_en_, strength_en_, whit_en_.
-EN, -IN, -ENE, belonging to, as ali_en_, verm_in_, terr_ene_. [L. _-enus_, _-ena_, _-enum_.]
-ENCE, -ENCY. See -nce, -ncy.
-ENT, belonging to, as different. [L. _-ens_, _-entis_. See -ant.]
-EOUS, in right_eous_, corr. of -wise (which see); in court_eous_, from O.
Fr. _-eis_ (from L. _-ensis_.)
-EOUS, same as in -ous, as lign_eous_. [L. _-eus_.]
-ER, freq. and intens., as glimm_er_, flutt_er_.
-ER, infinitive suffix, as cov_er_, encount_er_. [Fr, _-re_, _-ir_, from L.
pres. infin. _-[=a]re_, _-[=e]re_, _-[)e]re_, _-[=i]re_.]
-ER marks the agent, designating persons according to their occupation, as writ_er_, sing_er_, hatt_er_, lead_er_, sometimes changed to _-ar_, as li_ar_; with _-i-_ or _-y-_ prefixed, as cloth_-i__-er_, law_-y-er_ (where the A.S. primitive substantive ends in [gh]); with excrescent _-t_ or _-d_, as bragg_-ar__-t_. Note that in the words _auger_, _heifer_, _shelter_, what looks like the suffix _-er_ is really an independent substantive.
[A.S. _-ere_; Goth. _-arja_, Ger. _-er_.]
-ER, more, used in compar. of adjs., as great_er_, mo_re_. [Aryan compar., suffix _-ra_.]
-ER, noun suffix, as matt_er_, gutt_er_. [Fr. _-iere_--L. _-eria_.]
-EREL, dim. suffix, as mack_erel_. [See under -l.]
-ERIE, place where, as menag_erie_. [Fr., from L. _-arium_. See -ery.]
-ERLY, direction to or from, as south_erly_. [From _-ern_ and _-ly_.]
-ERN, adj. suffix sig. direction, as south_ern_ [A.S. _-er__-n_]; adj.
suffix, sig. belonging to, as mod_ern_ [L. _-ernus_]; noun suffix, as cist_ern_ [L. _-erna_].
-ERY, noun suffix, as brew_ery_, witch_ery_, cutl_ery_. [Noun suffix -Y added to nouns in -ER (marking agent). See -ary, -erie, -ory.]
-ES or -S, pl. suffix, as fox_es_, hat_s_. [A.S. _-as_. -S is a general pl.
suffix, as L. and Gr. _-es_.]
-ESCENT, adj. suffix, denoting growing, becoming, as conval_escent_. [L.
_-esco_, _-isco_, _-asco_, Gr. _-ask[=o]_, suffix, implying becoming, beginning.]
-ESE, adj. suffix, belonging to, as Japan_ese_. [L. _-ensis_; O. Fr.
_-eis_, mod. Fr. _-ois_, _-ais_.]
-ESQUE, adj. suffix, partaking of the quality of, as pictur_esque_, grot_esque_, Turner_esque_. [Fr. _-esqe_ (It. _-esco_)--L. _-iscus_, a by-form of _-icus_ (see -ic), and conn. with -ish, adj. suffix.]
-ESS, fem. suffix of nouns, as lion_ess_, godd_ess_. [Fr. _-esse_, L.
_-issa_.]
-ESS, -ICE, -ISE, as prow_ess_, just_ice_, merchand_ise_. Note that _riches_ was mistaken for a plural, being really M. E. _richesse_--Fr.
_richesse_. [L. _-itia_, _-ities_, Late L. _-icia_, Fr. _-esse_.]
-EST, as in harv_est_, earn_est_.
-EST, suffix of 2d sing. in verbs, as bring_est_. [A.S. _-ast_, _-est_; L.
_-es_, _-isti_; Gr. _-si_, _-sthon_. -S or -ST = 2d pers. pron., Gr. _sy_ (_su_), L. _tu_, Eng. _thou_.]
-EST, superl. suffix, formed from the compar. by adding _-t_, as small_est_. [A.S. _-est_ (in adjectives), _-ost_ (in adverbs); L.
_-issimus_, Gr. _-istos_, _-stos_, _-tatos_. Sans. _-ishta_.]
-ET, -ETE, noun suffix, marking the agent, as proph_et_, po_et_, athl_ete_.
[L. _-[=e]ta_, Gr. _-[=e]t[=e]_s.]
-ET, -ETTE, -OT, dim., as cygn_et_, bill_et_, etiqu_ette_, ball_ot_. See also -let. [Norm. Fr. _-et_, _-ot_; Fr. _-et_, _-ette_.]
-EUR. See under -or.
-EVER, at any time, as who_ever_, every one who. [See _Ever_ in Dict.]
-FARE, way, as in wel_fare_, chaf_fer_. [See _Fare_ in Dict.]
-FAST, adj. suffix, as in stead_fast_, shame_faced_ (A.S. _scamfaest_).
[A.S. _faest_, firm, fast.]
-FOLD, adj. suffix, as four_fold,_ mani_fold_. [A.S. _-feald_.]
-FUL, full of, as delight_ful_. [A.S. _-full_.]
-FY, a verbal suffix signifying to make, as puri_fy_. [Fr. _-fier_--L.