-ant

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ant"

English

Etymology

From Middle English -ant, -aunt, partly from Old French -ant, from Latin -āns; and partly (in adjectival derivations) continuing Middle English -ant, a variant of -and, -end, from Old English -ende (present participle ending), see -and.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ənt/

Suffix

-ant

1. (now sciences, chiefly medicine) The agent noun derived from verb.

   serve → servant

2. An adjective corresponding to a noun in -ance, having the sense of "exhibiting (the condition or process described by the noun)".
3. An adjective derived from a verb, having the senses of: (a) "doing (the verbal action)", and/or (b) "prone/tending to do (the verbal action)".

   ascend → ascendant

   err → errant.

4. Alternative form of -and.

   blatant, blicant; flippant, old-farrant

Usage notes

• Many words in -ant were not actually coined in English but rather borrowed directly from Old French, Middle French or Modern French.

Derived terms

English terms suffixed with -ant

abdicant

abeyant

abortificant

abradant

accelerant

acceptant

accordant

accountant

acquaintant

actant

adversant

affiant

agitant

amplicant

anorexiant

antifoggant

antiozonant

antiscalant

appendant

armisonant

arrivant

ascendant

assailant

assistant

attendant

avoidant

benignant

bloviant

buoyant

castigant

catalecticant

celebrant

chemorepulsant

claimant

clairgustant

cognizant

coingestant

colorant

colourant

combatant

commutant

compliant

confessant

contaminant

continuant

coolant

counteractant

crystallant

debutant

defiant

defoliant

degradant

deletant

deliberant

deliriant

delustrant

denaturant

deodorant

depletant

depressant

deservant

determinant

digestant

dilutant

discordant

discussant

disinfectant

dispersant

disputant

dodecant

dopant

duplicant

eradicant

etchant

executant

expectorant

extinguishant

extractant

exudant

flippant

floatant

flowant

forbearant

fulminant

glidant

glitterant

habitant

hydrant

idant

ignorant

important

impregnant

incrustant

informant

infrigidant

inhabitant

inhalant

inhibitant

interactant

interferant

invigorant

irritant

isolant

joyant

latrant

leachant

locant

lubricant

luxuriant

majorant

minorant

misdemeanant

montivagant

mountant

mutant

nurturant

objectant

occupant

orthant

participant

peccant

performant

permeant

pollutant

practisant

precipitant

preformant

pretendant

proclaimant

prognosticant

propellant

proppant

protectant

protestant

Protestant

rampant

reactant

reciprocant

reductant

redundantant

rehabilitant

reliant

reordrant

resistant

retardant

retirant

retreatant

revitalizant

revulsant

salivant

sclerosant

sealant

sectant

servant

simulant

sinkant

somnambulant

sonorant

sterilant

subexcedant

successantly

suppressant

suppurant

thrillant

titrant

transportant

transvectant

trippant

triumphant

uninferant

vesicant

Related terms

• -ance

Anagrams

• TNA, TAN, NTA, Nat, NAT, ATN, nat, Tan, tan, Nat.

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Old Catalan -ant, from Latin -antem, -entem. Compare French -ant, Italian -ent, Spanish -ante, Portuguese -ante.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈan]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [ˈant]

Suffix

-ant (invariable)

1. -ing; suffix denoting the gerund and present participle of a verb

   ‎jugar (“to play”) + ‎-ant → ‎jugant (“playing”)

Suffix

-ant (adjective-forming suffix, feminine -anta, masculine plural -ants, feminine plural -antes)

1. -ant, -ing; forms adjectives out of verbs

Suffix

-ant m (noun-forming suffix, plural -ants, feminine -anta, feminine plural -antes)

1. -er; forms nouns out of verbs

See also

• -ent

Danish

Etymology

From Latin -ans.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈanˀd]

Suffix

-ant c

1. Forms agent nouns, mostly from verbs of Romance or Latin origin
2. something that is or happens in a certain way (adjectives. E.g. arrogant)

Declension

Declension of -ant

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	-ant	-anten	-anter	-anterne
genitive	-ants	-antens	-anters	-anternes

Derived terms

Danish terms suffixed with -ant

protestant

repræsentant

Dutch

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

Suffix

-ant m (plural -anten, feminine -ante)

1. appended to the stem of a verb, it yields a noun which signifies the subject who performs the action of that verb (see agent noun)

Derived terms

Dutch terms suffixed with -ant

fabrikant

figurant

immigrant

predikant

protestant

representant

secondant

speculant

sympathisant

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French -ant, from Latin -antem, -entem. Compare Italian -ante, -ente, Spanish -ante, -ente, -iente.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ̃/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Suffix

-ant (invariable)

1. -ing; suffix denoting the gerund and present participle of a verb

   ‎jouer (“to play”) + ‎-ant → ‎jouant (“playing”)

Suffix

-ant (adjective-forming suffix, feminine -ante, masculine plural -ants, feminine plural -antes)

1. -ant, -ing; forms adjectives out of verbs
2. (rare) forms adjectives from words other than verbs

   ‎abracadabra + ‎-ant → ‎abracadabrant

Suffix

-ant m (noun-forming suffix, plural -ants, feminine -ante)

1. -er; forms nouns out of verbs

Usage notes

• French present participles are used, chiefly in literary style, to replace relative clauses. In this case they are not inflected for number and gender: une femme aimant ses enfants (“a woman loving her children”), equivalent to une femme qui aime ses enfants (“a woman who loves her children”).
• Some present participles can also be used as actual adjectives. In this case they are inflected: une femme aimante (“a loving/caring woman”). Such adjectival uses are lexicalised, however, and (unlike in English) not all participles allow it.

Related terms

• -amment
• -ance

German

Alternative forms

• -ent
• -ans (learned terms only, usually neuter)

Etymology

From Middle High German -ant, from Latin -ans, -antis, in part through Old French -ant.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ant/, /ɑnt/

Suffix

-ant m (weak, genitive -anten, plural -anten, feminine -antin)

2. Forms agent nouns, mostly from verbs of Romance or Latin origin.

   ‎liefern (“to supply”) + ‎-ant → ‎Lieferant (“supplier”)

Usage notes

• This ending is semi-productive, see e.g. Asylant, Antifant.
• This ending rarely also occurs in the neuter gender, see e.g. Antiozonant.

Declension

Declension of -ant [masculine, weak]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	-ant	die	-anten
genitive	eines	des	-anten	der	-anten
dative	einem	dem	-anten	den	-anten
accusative	einen	den	-anten	die	-anten

Derived terms

German terms suffixed with -ant

Antifant

Asylant

Fierant

Informant

intrigant

Intrigant

Laborant

Lieferant

Maturant

Musikant

Negerant

Praktikant

Protokollant

Qualifikant

Simulant

Suderant

Sympathisant

Tschecherant

Tumultuant

Further reading

• “-ant” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “-ant” in Duden online