-ess
English
Etymology
From Middle English -esse, borrowed from Old French -esse, from Late Latin -issa, from Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa). Displaced Old English -en (feminine suffix of nouns).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /-ɛs/
Usage notes
- Professions ending in -ter or -tor change to -tr when this suffix is added.
- A female sempster is a sempstress; a female actor is an actress.
- Professions ending in -e lose an e when this suffix is added.
- As in Romance languages, the masculine form is always used when referring to both males and females. However, note the unusual word marquess which is masculine.
- Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart were very popular actors.
- Who would like to be an actor after high school?
- This suffix tends to be regarded as sexist and as such is starting to fall into disuse; a single, gender-neutral term is preferred by some even though it is a less specific term.
- Glenda Jackson is a famous actor.
- Glenda Jackson is a famous actress. More specific language signaling that Glenda is a female.
- Depending on etymology, other feminine affixes are used; see synonyms.
- Not to be confused with -ness, especially in words like lioness, baroness, etc.
Derived terms
► <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:English_words_suffixed_with_-ess' title='Category:English words suffixed with -ess'>English words suffixed with -ess</a>
Translations
female suffix
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References
- “-ess” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.
Middle English
References
- “-esse, (suf.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 24 June 2018.
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