-ety

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Uncertain origin. Perhaps imitative of repeated action.[1] Compare -et, a suffix used to form diminutives.

Suffix

-ety

  1. Added to monosyllabic words, typically nouns or adjectives, to extend their form. Often seen in fanciful compounds.
    dig + ‎-ety → ‎diggety, hot diggety dog
    lick + ‎-ety → ‎lickety, lickety-split

References
  1. “-ety, suffix.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, November 2010.

Anagrams
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