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-ite

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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English

Etymology 1

From French -ite, from Old French, from Latin -ītēs, from Ancient Greek -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs).

Pronunciation

Suffix

-ite (plural -ites)

  1. (sometimes derogatory) Used to form nouns denoting followers or adherents of a specified person, idea, doctrine, movement, etc.
    Adamsite, Campbellite, Jacobite, laborite, Mansonite, Reaganite, Thatcherite
  2. Used to form nouns denoting descendants of a specified historical person, especially a biblical figure.
    Cainite, Ephraimite, Hamite, Japhetite, Lamanite
    • 1830, Joseph Smith, Book of Mormon, translation of original by Mormon, 4 Nephi 1:17:
      There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.
  3. (chiefly US, India) Used to form demonyms.
    Brooklynite, Delhiite, Jerusalemite, Keralite, Kilgoreite, New Jerseyite, Seattleite, Seoulite, Sydneyite, Wisconsinite, Wyomingite; also see ashramite, hostelite
  4. Used to form nouns denoting rocks or minerals.
    andalusite, anorthosite, anthracite, erythrite, forsterite, graphite, hawleyite, titanite
  5. Used to form nouns denoting fossil organisms.
    ammonite, belemnite
  6. (biology) Used to form nouns denoting segments or components of the body or an organ of the body.
    dendrite, somite
  7. Used to form nouns denoting the product of a specified process or a commercially manufactured product.
    Bakelite, cordite, dynamite, ebonite, metabolite, vulcanite
  8. (chemistry) Used to form names of certain chemical compounds, especially salts or esters of acids whose name ends in -ous.
    bromite, chlorite, iodite, phosphite, sulfite
  9. (rare) Used to form nouns for kinds, mostly from bases of Ancient Greek origin.
    sporozoite, epizoite, troglobite, lychnobite
Translations

Etymology 2

From Latin past participles in -ītus, of verbs in -īre, -ĕre, -ēre, partly via Old French.

Pronunciation

Suffix

-ite

  1. Forms adjectives.

See also

Anagrams

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Afar

Etymology

Akin to Saho -ite.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /-iˈte/ [-ɪˈtɛ]

Suffix

-ité

  1. Used to form captative verbs from nouns.

Derived terms

References

  • E. M. Parker; R. J. Hayward (1985), An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN, page 242

Esperanto

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈite/
  • Rhymes: -ite
  • Hyphenation: it‧e

Suffix

-ite

  1. past adverbial passive participle of -i

French

Etymology

    Borrowed from Latin -ītēs, from Ancient Greek -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs), from -της (-tēs), from Proto-Indo-European *-tós.

    Pronunciation

    Suffix

    -ite f (noun-forming suffix, plural -ites)

    1. (medicine) -itis
      alvéole (alveolus) + -itealvéolite (alveolitis)
    2. (mineralogy) -ite
      pyro- (pyro-) + -itepyrite (pyrite)

    Suffix

    -ite m (noun-forming suffix, plural -ites)

    1. (chemistry) -ite
      arsénique (arsenic) + -itearsénite (arsenite)

    Suffix

    -ite m or f by sense (noun-forming suffix, plural -ites)

    1. -ite (follower of someone or something)
      Adam (Adam) + -iteadamite (Adamite)
      Ali (Ali) + -itealaouite (Alawite)
    2. -ite (person from a given location, especially in a historical context)
      Israël (Israel) + -iteIsraélite (Israelite)

    Suffix

    -ite (adjective-forming suffix, plural -ites)

    1. -ite (relating to following someone or something)
      Anaximandre (Anaximander) + -iteanaximandrite (Anaximanderian)
    2. -ite (relating to a given location, especially in a historical context)
      Israël (Israel) + -iteisraélite (Israelite)
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    Interlingua

    Etymology

    Borrowed from English -ite, French -ite, Italian -ita, Portuguese -ita/Spanish -ita, all ultimately from Latin -īta, , from Ancient Greek -ίτης (-ítēs).

    Pronunciation

    Suffix

    The template Template:ia-suffix does not use the parameter(s):
    1=n
    Please see Module:checkparams for help with this warning.

    -ite

    1. forms nouns from nouns, denoting a rock or mineral; -ite
      ligno (wood) + -itelignite (lignite)
      meteoro (meteor) + -itemeteorite (meteorite)
      Andalusia (Andalusia) + -iteandalusite (andalusite)

    Usage notes

    • This suffix is not to be confused with -ita (inhabitant, adherent).

    Derived terms

    Category Interlingua terms suffixed with -ite not found

    References

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    Italian

    Suffix

    -ite f (plural -iti)

    1. used with a stem to form the feminine plural past participle of regular -ire verbs
    2. used with a stem to form the second-person plural present and imperative of regular -ire verbs
    3. (mineralogy) -ite
    4. (chemistry) -ite
    5. (pathology) -itis

    Derived terms

    See also

    Anagrams

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    Latin

    Etymology 1

    See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

    Pronunciation

    Suffix

    -ītē

    1. ablative/vocative singular of -ītēs

    Etymology 2

    See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

    Pronunciation

    Suffix

    -īte

    1. ablative/vocative masculine singular of -ītus

    Etymology 3

    See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

    Pronunciation

    Suffix

    -ite

    1. ablative/vocative masculine singular of -itus
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    Middle English

    Alternative forms

    Etymology

    From Old French -ite, -ete, from Latin -itās, -itātem; compare -te.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /-iˈteː/, /-iteː/

    Suffix

    -ite

    1. synonym of -te

    Usage notes

    • Syncope sometimes results in the replacement of -ite with -te. For instance, trinte is sometimes found for trinite (Trinity).
    • Conversely, learned influence may sometimes result in -te with -ite, especially when the word goes back to a Latin original with -itās. This is exemplified by the replacement of personalte (personality) with personalite in later Middle English (compare Latin persōnālitās).
    • As in modern English, -ite tends to attract stress to the antepenultimate syllable, while -te leaves stress where it was on the root.

    Derived terms

    Descendants

    • English: -ity
    • Scots: -ity, -eety

    References

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    Portuguese

    Pronunciation

     

    Suffix

    -ite f (noun-forming suffix, plural -ites)

    1. (pathology) -itis (forms the names of diseases characterised by inflammation)
    2. (geology, Portugal) -ite (forms the names of rocks and minerals)
      Synonyms: (Brazil) -ita, (less common) -ito

    Further reading

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