Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “-ese” come from?

-ese (English) comes from Middle English -eys, from Old French -eis, from Late Latin -iscus.

-ese (English): Used to form adjectives and nouns describing...

Definitions

  1. Used to form adjectives and nouns describing...

Ancestry of “-ese”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle English-eysAlternative form of -esse
2Old French-eisused to form nationalities; used to form names of...
3Late Latin-iscus—

Words derived from “-ese”

  • Chinese
  • Japanese
  • Vietnamese
  • Lebanese
  • Burmese
  • Taiwanese
  • Sudanese
  • Javanese
  • Viennese
  • Siamese
  • Genoese
  • Maltese
  • Jap
  • Cantonese
  • Nepalese
  • Senegalese
  • Piedmontese
  • Timorese
  • Tyrolese
  • Indochinese
  • Assamese
  • Aragonese
  • Bhutanese
  • Guyanese
Every word from Late Latin -iscus →