-es

See also: Appendix:Variations of "es"

Languages (20)

English

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English

Pronunciation

• (after sibilant) IPA^(key): /əz/, /ɪz/
• (after vowel sound) IPA^(key): /z/
• (US, sometimes) IPA^(key): /iːz/

Etymology 1

From Middle English -es, from Old English -as. More at -s.

Suffix

-es

1. Used to form the regular plural of nouns that end in a sibilant (/s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /t͡ʃ/, or /d͡ʒ/), such as:
   1. (t)ch, when pronounced as /tʃ/: glitch→glitches (but psych→psychs)
   2. (j)j: hajj→hajjes (j is only final in loan words raj, hajj)
   3. (s)s: bus→buses, Jones → Joneses; waltz → waltzes; yes → yeses.
   4. x: box→boxes; crux → cruces
   5. (z)z: buzz → buzzes
   6. sh: ash→ashes
2. Used to form the regular plural of nouns that end in a consonant (or qu) + y:

   lady→ladies, soliloquy→soliloquies (but key→keys)

3. Used for form the plural of some nouns that end in a consonant + o:

   tomato→tomatoes (but soprano→sopranos)

4. (dialectal) Used to form the regular plural of nouns that end in /sp/, /st/, /sk/

   post→postes /ˈpəʊstɪz/, /ˈpoʊstɪz/ (standard posts)

Usage notes

Singular noun forms that whose spelling ends in a silent e form the regular plural with the ending -s. Alternatively, they could be analysed as dropping the silent e and adding the ending -es, particularly where the consonant is sibilant and there is an identical verb (which would drop the e before the ending -ing): "a dance"→"some dances" parallels "it dances"→"it is dancing" better under such analysis. This applies to nouns that end in ce and (d)ge.

Uniquely in American English, the nonstandard pronunciations of processes (/ˈpɹɒsɛˌsiːz/) and biases (/ˈbaɪəsiːz/), where -es is pronounced like ease, is due to influence from plurals like parentheses and hypotheses, and perhaps even bases.

However, processes is also, unusually, pronounced /ˈpɹəʊ̯sɛsiːz/ in England and /ˈpɹoʊsɛsiːz/ in Canada.

Etymology 2

From Middle English -es, -is, from Old English -es, -as, Northern variants of -est, -ast (second person singular indicative ending). Replaced Middle English -eth, from Old English -eþ, -aþ. The falling together of the second and third person singular verb forms in Old English is believed to be due to Scandinavian influence, where the employment of the same verbal endings for both 2nd and 3rd singular indicative follows a similar pattern to that seen in Old Norse (e.g. þú masar, hann masar; þú þekkir, hann þekkir; etc.).

Suffix

-es

1. Used to form the third person singular present indicative of regular verbs:
   1. that end in (t)ch pronounced as /tʃ/: impeach→impeaches (but psych→psychs)
   2. that end in (s)s: miss → misses, yes → yesses; bus → buses; buss → busses
   3. that end in x: tax → taxes; rendezvous → rendezvouses.
   4. that end in (z)z: fizz→fizzes;
   5. that end in consonant + o in some cases: go→goes (but radio→radios)
   6. that end in sh: wish→wishes
   7. that end in consonant (or qu) + y: cry→cries (but buy→buys)

Etymology 3

See -s, -'s.

Suffix

-es

1. (obsolete, no longer productive) Possessive marker; see -s, -'s.
   • 1573, An exposition of the kinges prerogative, collected out of the great Abridgement of Justice Fitzherbert and other olde writers of the lawes of England, page 38:

     ... whereupon king Henry his sonne, as it may appeare by the later clause of this chapter, recouered diuers eschet[s] of lande within this Realme holden by Normans, whiche after they began to adhere to the French king, the kinges enimy […]

Anagrams

• -se, SE, Se., se, se.

Cornish

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) Cognate with Welsh -yd.

Suffix

-es m

1. Forms masculine abstract nouns

   ‎sygh (“dry”) + ‎-es → ‎syghes (“dryness”)

   ‎yagh (“healthy”) + ‎-es → ‎yeghes (“health”)

Derived terms

Cornish terms suffixed with -es (abstract)

seghes

yeghes

Etymology 2

Probably from English -es.

Suffix

-es

1. Plural ending

   ‎myrgh (“girl”) + ‎-es → ‎myrghes (“girls”)

   ‎mil (“animal”) + ‎-es → ‎miles (“animals”)

   ‎nader (“adder”) + ‎-es → ‎nadres (“adders”)

Derived terms

Cornish terms suffixed with -es (plural)

morvleydhes

olifanses

yownes

Etymology 3

From Proto-Brythonic *-ɨd, from Proto-Celtic *-eti.

Suffix

-es

1. Forms verbal nouns

   ‎gwel (“sight”) + ‎-es → ‎gweles (“to see”)

Etymology 4

From Proto-Brythonic *-essā. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Suffix

-es f (plural -esow)

1. Forms feminine nouns

   ‎duw (“god”) + ‎-es → ‎duwes (“goddess”)

   ‎abas (“abbot”) + ‎-es → ‎abases (“abbess”)

   ‎gwarier (“actor”) + ‎-es → ‎gwariores (“actress”)

Derived terms

Cornish terms suffixed with -es (feminine)

broweghyades

devisores

duwes

dyowles

dyskadores

Frynkes

gevelles

Godhales

ilewydhes

lewes

lewydhes

morladres

mowes

myghternes

neuvyores

Sowses

stervarnores

votores

yonkores

References

• 2020, An Gerlyver Meur, ed. Dr Ken George (3rd edition, p.192)