Where does “-ous” come from?

-ous (English) comes from Middle English -ous, from Old French -us, from Latin -ōsus, from Old Latin -ōssus.

-ous (English): Used to form adjectives from nouns, to denote...

Definitions

  1. Used to form adjectives from nouns, to denote...

Ancestry of “-ous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle English-ous—
2Old French-us-ous, used for forming adjectives
3Latin-ōsusose, -ous, -ful (full of or overly prone to)
4Old Latin-ōssus—

Words derived from “-ous”

Every word from Old Latin -ōssus →