-al
English
Etymology 1
From the Latin adjective suffix -ālis, or French, Middle French and Old French -el, -al. Likely, the aforementioned Latin suffix is formed from Etruscan genitive suffix -l (as in Etruscan ati (“mother”) / atial (“mother's”)) + adjectival suffix -is (as in fortis, dēbilis, etc.).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /əl/
Suffix
-al
- Of or pertaining to. Adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to make an adjective form. Often added to words of Latin origin, but used with other words also.
- Forming nouns, especially of verbal action.
Usage notes
If the root word contains l, the variant -ar is often used instead (e.g. solar, lunar, columnar, lumbar). Sometimes both forms are found: linear, lineal. One also sees -ial, as in manorial.
As nominalizer, some verbs have two corresponding nouns, one ending in -al and the other in -tion/-sion (more common suffix), with one or the other being more common, sometimes with different nuances. Notable examples: disposition/disposal (dispose), proposition/proposal (propose), submission/submittal (submit), transmission/transmittal (transmit). Some superficial pairs are actually of different origin, notably reversion/reversal (revert/reverse, not both from reverse).
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Extracted from the word aldehyde.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /æl/
Abenaki
Suffix
-al
- A suffix used to form the plurals of inanimate words.
- pessimen (“currant”) → pessimenal (“currants”)
- wôbigen (“it is white”) → wôbigenal (“they are white”)
Catalan
Suffix
-al (masculine and feminine plural -als)
- In adjectives, indicating relation.
- estructura (“structure”) → estructural (“structural”).
Derived terms
Danish
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɑl/
Synonyms
Derived terms
Esperanto
Suffix
-al
- for [...] reason (ending for correlatives of reason)
French
Etymology
From Middle French, from Old French -al, borrowed from Latin -ālis. Cognate to French -el, which is also from Latin -ālis but inherited (not borrowed).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /al/
Suffix
-al
- -al (of or pertaining to; adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to make an adjective form. Often added to words of Latin origin, but used with other words also)
Derived terms
German
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [aːl]
Suffix
-al
- pertaining to, using; adjectival suffix appended to nouns
Derived terms
Hungarian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ɒl]
Suffix
-al
Usage notes
- (verb-forming suffix) Harmonic variants:
- -l is added to words ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-. Final -e changes to -é-. Final long vowels may shorten, e.g. ű → ü.
- -ol is added to some back vowel words ending in a consonant
- -al is added to other back vowel words ending in a consonant
- -el is added to unrounded front vowel words ending in a consonant
- -öl is added to rounded front vowel words ending in a consonant
- -ál is added to some back vowel words ending in a consonant
- (noun-forming suffix) Harmonic variants:
Derived terms
See also
- Appendix:Hungarian suffixes
Lepontic
Manx
Alternative forms
Etymology 3
From Middle Irish -amail (compare Irish -úil, Scottish Gaelic -ail, -eil), from Old Irish -amail.
-al
- An adjectival suffix applied to various words, usually nouns, to make an adjective.
Norman
Etymology
From Old French -al, from Latin -ālis.
Suffix
-al
- -al (of or pertaining to; adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to make an adjective form)
Derived terms
Novial
Usage notes
- Remove the last vowel (except 'u') of the given noun before appending this suffix to it.
Old French
Alternative forms
Suffix
-al
- suffix used to form adjectives from nouns
- mesnal ― domestic; household(from mesnee)
Polish
Etymology
From Proto-Slavic *-aljь.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /al/
Suffix
-al m
- Forms masculine nouns.
Declension
Animate/personal:
Inanimate:
Surnames:
Derived terms
Portuguese
Etymology 1
From Old Portuguese -al, from Latin -ālis.
Suffix
-al (plural -ais)
- appended to noun X, forms adjectives meaning “of or pertaining to X”
- abismo (“abyss”) + -al → abismal (“abyssal; abysmal”)
- indústria (“factory; industry”) + -al → industrial (“industrial”)
- forms synonyms of adjectives containing the suffix -ico
- appended to noun X, forms nouns meaning “a collection X” or “a large quantity of X”
- appended to noun X, forms nouns meaning “a place where there is plenty of X”
- appended to the name of a plant, forms nouns meaning “a field where that plant is cultivated”
Synonyms
Spanish
Suffix
-al (plural -ales)
Synonyms
- (indicating a place): -ar
Derived terms
Further reading
- “-al” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.