Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “-ance” come from?

-ance (English) comes from Middle English -aunce, from Old French -ance, from Latin -ia, from Latin -ius, from Proto-Italic -jōs, from Proto-Indo-European -yós — Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems.

-ance (English): Added to an adjective or verb to form a noun...

Definitions

  1. Added to an adjective or verb to form a noun...

Ancestry of “-ance”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle English-aunce—
2Old French-ance-ance
3Latin-iaUsed to form a feminine abstract noun, usually...
4Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
5Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives
6Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems

Words derived from “-ance”

  • performance
  • accordance
  • guidance
  • compliance
  • relevance
  • reliance
  • dominance
  • utterance
  • reluctance
  • clearance
  • impedance
  • hindrance
  • issuance
  • forbearance
  • contrivance
  • pursuance
  • appliance
  • furtherance
  • noncompliance
  • reflectance
  • reactance
  • remittance
  • absorbance
  • nurturance
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →