-ability
suffix expressing ability or capacity, from L. -abilitas,
forming nouns from adjs. ending in -abilis (see -able).
Not etymologically related to ability, though popularly
connected with it.
-able
suffix expressing ability, capacity, fitness, from L. -ibilis,
-abilis, forming adjectives from verbs, from PIE *-tro-, a
suffix used to form nouns of instrument. In L., infinitives
in -are took -abilis, others -ibilis; in Eng., -able is used for
native words, -ible for words of obvious L. origin. The
Latin suffix is not etymologically connected with able, but
it long has been popularly associated with it, and this has
contributed to its survival as a living suffix. It is related to
the second syllable of rudder and saddle.
-acea
suffix denoting orders and classes in zoology, from L.
-acea, neut. pl. of -aceus "belonging to, of the nature of"
(enlarged from adj. suffix -ax, gen. -acis); neut. pl. because
of a presumed animalia, a neuter plural noun. Thus,
crustacea "shellfish" are *crustacea animalia "crusty
animals." In botany, the suffix is -aceae, from the fem. pl.
of -aceus, with reference to L. plantae, which is a fem.
plural.
-ad
suffix denoting collective numerals (cf. Olympiad), from
Gk. -as (gen. -ados), a suffix forming fem. nouns; also
used in fem. patronymics (Dryad, Naiad, also, in plural,
Pleiades, Hyades).
-ado
in commando, desperado, tornado,, and other words
of Sp. and Port. origin, "person or group participating in
an action," from L. -atus, pp. suffix of verbs of the first
conjugation (cf. -ade).
-age
suffix forming nouns of act, process, function, condition,
from O.Fr./Fr. -age, from L.L. -aticum "belonging to,
related to," originally neut. adj. suffix, from L. -atus, pp.
suffix of verbs of the first conjugation.
-aholic
abstracted from alcoholic first in sugarholic (1965), later
in workaholic (1968), golfaholic (1971), chocoholic (1976),
and shopaholic (1984).
-algia
suffix denoting "pain," from Gk. algos "pain," algein "to
feel pain," of unknown origin. Related to alegein "to care
about," originally "to feel pain."
-archy
suffix meaning "rule," from L. -archia, from Gk. -arkhia,
from arkhos "leader, chief, ruler," from arkhe "beginning,
origin, first place" (see archon).
-aster
suffix expressing incomplete resemblance (e.g. poetaster),
usually dim. and deprecatory, from L., from Gk. -aster,
suffix originally forming nouns from verbs ending in
-azein, later generalized as a pejorative suffix, e.g.
patraster "he who plays the father."
a (1)
indefinite article, c.1150, a variation of O.E. an (see an) in
which the -n- began to disappear before consonants, a
process mostly complete by 1340. The -n- also was
retained before words beginning with a sounded -h- until
c.1600; it still is retained by many writers before
unaccented syllables in h- or (e)u-, but is now no longer
normally spoken as such. The -n- also lingered (especially
in southern England dialect) before -w- and -y- through
15c.
a (2)
as in twice a day, etc., is from O.E. an "on," in this case
"on each." The sense was extended from time to measure,
price, place, etc. The habit of tacking a onto a gerund (as
in a-hunting we will go) died out 18c.
a capella
1876, earlier alla capella (1847), from It., "in the manner
of the chapel," lit. "according to the chapel," from cappella
"chapel." Originally in ref. to older church music
(pre-1600) which was written for unaccompanied voices;
applied 20c. to unaccompanied vocal music generally.
a priori
1710, "from cause to effect" (a logical term, in ref. to
reasoning), from L., lit. "from what comes first," from
priori, abl. of prior "first" (see prior (adj.)). Used loosely
for "in accordance with previous knowledge" (1834).
A&P
U.S. grocery chain, originally The Great Atlantic and
Pacific Tea Company, founded 1859 by George
Huntington Hartford and George Gilman.
a- (1)
in native (derived from O.E.) words, it most commonly
represents O.E. an "on" (see a (2)), as in alive, asleep,
剩余1447页未读，继续阅读
资源评论
