-essa

See also: essa and essä

Catalan

Etymology

From Old Catalan -essa, from Latin -issa, from Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa).

Pronunciation
  • (Balearic) IPA(key): /ˈ-ə.sə/
  • (Central) IPA(key): /ˈ-ɛ.sə/
  • (Valencian) IPA(key): /ˈ-e.sa/

Suffix

-essa f

  1. -ess (female)

Usage notes

This suffix is non-productive in modern Catalan, with either the usual feminine termination -a being employed, or the noun having a single form for both genders.

Derived terms
  • See Category:Catalan words suffixed with -essa

Interlingua

Suffix

-essa

  1. -ess (female)
    Synonym: -a (replaces a final -o in the stem noun)

Italian

Etymology

From Latin -issa, from Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa).

Suffix

-essa

  1. -ess

Usage notes
  • Mostly used to form the feminine of animate nouns. e.g. barone => baronessa
  • Sometimes used ironically or in a disparaging manner. e.g. medico => medichessa
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