Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “-ece” come from?

-ece (Old French) comes from Latin -itiam, from Latin -itia, from Latin -ia, from Latin -ius, from Proto-Italic -jōs, from Proto-Indo-European -yós — Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems.

-ece (Old French): Alternative form of -esce

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of -esce

Ancestry of “-ece”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latin-itiamaccusative singular of -itia
2Latin-itia-ness, -ity
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 “-ece”

  • principle
  • principal
  • prince
  • Princeton
  • principally
  • princely
  • principled
  • unprincipled
  • tigress
  • princeps
  • delicatessen
  • principalship
  • traitress
  • principate
  • princedom
  • princeling
  • archduchess
  • Príncipe
  • Princetonian
  • principlism
  • princeliness
  • unprincely
  • coprincipal
  • mulattress
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →