-y

• -e, -ey
• -i- (when followed by another suffix)
• -ie

From Middle English -y, -i, from Old English -iġ (“-y, -ic”, suffix), from Proto-Germanic *-īgaz (“-y, -ic”), from Proto-Indo-European *-kos, *-ikos, *-iḱos (“-y, -ic”). Cognate with Scots -ie (“-y”), West Frisian -ich (“-y”), Dutch -ig (“-y”), Low German -ig (“-y”), German -ig (“-y”), Swedish -ig (“-y”), Latin -icus (“-y, -ic”), Ancient Greek -ικός (-ikós). Doublet of -ic.

-y

1. Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives meaning “having the quality of”.

   ‎mess + ‎-y → ‎messy

   ‎mouse + ‎-y → ‎mousy

   ‎blue + ‎-y → ‎bluey

   ‎clay + ‎-y → ‎clayey

2. Added to verbs to form adjectives meaning "inclined to".

   ‎run + ‎-y → ‎runny

   ‎stick + ‎-y → ‎sticky

• This suffix is still very productive and can be added to almost any word. When the resulting word is not perceived to be a real word, a hyphen is used before the suffix (sandcastle → sandcastle-y). A few long-established words ending with this suffix have distinctive spellings, such as wintry and fiery, which English learners might misspell as *wintery and *firey.

• (form “having quality of” adjectives): -ish, -like, -ly, -ous

• (form “having quality of” adjectives): -less

Note: translations of English words ending in -y do not necessarily end in the suffixes listed below.

From Middle English and Scots. Compare Dutch -je (diminutive suffix), German Low German -je (diminutive suffix). Also spelled -ie.

-y

1. Forming diminutive nouns. Also used for familiar and pet names as a term of endearment.

   granny

   Billy

Note: translations of English words ending in -y do not necessarily end in the suffixes listed below.

From Anglo-Norman and Middle French -ie and -e, from Latin -ia, -ium, -tās, Ancient Greek -ίᾱ (-íā), -ειᾰ (-eia), -ιον (-ion). Cognate (as far as Latin -ia is involved) with German -ei and Dutch -ij.

-y

1. Forming abstract nouns denoting a state, condition, or quality.

   ‎modest + ‎-y → ‎modesty

   ‎honest + ‎-y → ‎honesty

   ‎-nym + ‎-y → ‎-nymy

   as in ‎toponym + ‎-y → ‎toponymy

   ‎-logue + ‎-y → ‎-logy

   as in ‎analogue + ‎-y → ‎analogy

2. Used in the name of some locations which end in -ia in Latin.

   Italy, Germany, Saxony, Hungary, Sicily, Lombardy, Tuscany, Albany, Brittany, Gascony, Burgundy, Picardy, Normandy, Romandy, Savoy, Muscovy, Tartary, Thessaly, Troy, Turkey.

Note: translations of English words ending in -y do not necessarily end in the suffixes listed below.

• IPA^(key): /i/

-y

1. him, she, it (third-person singular indirect pronoun)

   Da-y pan

   Give him bread

It is always spelled with the hyphen, unlike other pronouns in the language.

• -yos, -ys (third-person plural indirect pronoun)

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /iː/
  • Conventional anglicization: -y

1. Forms the plural imperative of verbs, particularly weak verbs.
2. Optionally used to form the subjunctive of weak verbs.

The plural imperative can also appear without this suffix, in a form identical to the singular imperative.

1. Forms agent nouns from verbs.

1. Optionally marks the masculine imperfective active participle, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.

1. Optionally marks the masculine singular perfective passive participle of strong verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.

1. Optionally marks the perfective passive participle of weak verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
2. Optionally marks the perfective relative form of weak verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.

1. Rarely marks the imperfective relative form of all verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.

• James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, 354 page 328–329, 354.

-y

1. Front vowel variant of -u.

-y

1. Alternative form of -i (used after “hard” consonants).

From Old English -ig, from Proto-Germanic *-īgaz, from Proto-Indo-European *-kos. Doublet of -ik.

• -i, -ye, -ie, -e, -ig, -ige, -iȝ, -iȝe, -eg, -ege, -ich, -iche, -ik, -ike, -ey

-y

1. Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by being appended to a noun.

• English: -y, -ie, -ey
• Scots: -ie, -y

• “-i, (suf.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 20 June 2018.
• “-i(e, (suf.2)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 20 June 2018.

-y

1. Alternative form of -yf

• “-i(e, (suf.5)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 20 June 2018.

-y

1. Alternative form of -ie

• “-i(e, (suf.4)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 20 June 2018.

• IPA^(key): /ɨ/

-y

1. nominative plural ending of some masculine nouns.
2. vocative plural ending of some masculine nouns.
3. genitive singular ending of some feminine nouns.
4. nominative plural ending of some feminine nouns.
5. accusative plural ending of some feminine nouns.
6. vocative plural ending of some feminine nouns.
7. personal, animate, and inanimate masculine nominative singular ending of some adjectives.
8. personal, animate, and inanimate masculine vocative singular ending of some adjectives.
9. inanimate masculine accusative singular ending of some adjectives.
10. personal masculine nominative plural ending of some adjectives.
11. personal masculine vocative plural ending of some adjectives.

-y

1. Infinitive marker.

   mikhuy (“to eat”)

2. Nominalizes verbs. The act of doing something. "-ing."

   pampachay (“pardon, remission”)

3. Indicates first-person singular possessive.

   mikhuna (“food”) → mikhunay (“my food”)

4. Conjugative suffix for the second-person imperative mood.

   Uyariway! ("(You) listen to me!")