This list includes 10 Suffixes that start with N, from “-nance” to “-nym”. They mostly form nouns or adjectives and often come from Latin or Greek; useful for students, writers, and ESL learners.
Suffixes that start with N are ending elements added to base words to create nouns, adjectives, or technical terms. For example, “-nym” traces to Greek roots meaning “name” and appears in familiar words like “synonym” and “antonym”.
Below you’ll find the table with Origin, Meaning, and Example words.
Origin: Shows each suffix’s language or period background so you understand historical roots and recognize related forms across English vocabulary.
Meaning: Gives a short, plain definition of what the suffix means so you can grasp its role quickly.
Example words: Lists two to four common words showing the suffix in context so you can see real usage patterns.
Suffixes that start with N
| Suffix | Origin | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| –ness | Old English | state or quality | happiness, darkness, kindness, sadness |
| –nym | Greek (post-classical) via Latin | name, type of name or word | synonym, antonym, homonym, toponym |
| –nomy | Greek via Latin | system of rules; field of study | astronomy, taxonomy, agronomy, economy |
| –nomic | Greek via Latin | relating to a system or law | economic, agronomic, taxonomic, astronomic |
| –nomial | Latin/Greek | pertaining to terms or names (math) | binomial, trinomial, polynomial, multinomial |
| –nomics | Greek via English coinage | the economics or policies of X | Reaganomics, Thatcheromics, Bidenomics |
| –natal | Latin (natalis) | relating to birth | prenatal, postnatal, antenatal, perinatal |
| –nary | Latin (arius) via Old French | pertaining to number, order, or arrangement | binary, ternary, quaternary, quinary |
| –nance | Old French/Latin (variant of -ance) | act, state, condition | governance, maintenance, attendance, continuance |
| –noid | Greek via Latin (variant of -oid) | resembling, like, form of | humanoid, arachnoid, gynoid, sphenoid |