This list includes 7 Suffixes that start with Y, from “-y” to “-ynyl”. These endings range from a highly productive adjective-forming “-y” to specialized chemical and borrowed forms like “-ynyl”. They help you form adjectives, nouns, and technical terms useful in writing, vocabulary study, and editing.
Suffixes that start with Y are bound endings attached to words to make adjectives, nouns, or specific lexical forms. The suffix “-y” became productive in Middle English and yields adjectives like “rocky” and nicknames like “Bobby”.
Below you’ll find the table with origin, meaning, and example words.
Origin: You can see the language or historical period that produced the suffix, which helps you judge usage and formality.
Meaning: This gives a short, practical gloss of the suffix so you understand what it adds to a base word.
Example words: You get two to four example words showing common uses, so you can spot the suffix in real vocabulary.
Suffixes that start with Y
| Suffix | Origin | Meaning | Examples | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| –y | Old English (OE -ig) / Proto‑Germanic | characterized by, full of; diminutive/affection | snowy, salty, doggy, kitty | The very common adjectival/diminutive suffix in English (snowy, leafy; doggy as affectionate). Productive across registers; regular orthographic alternations (e.g., happy → happy, leaf → leafy). Well documented (OED, Merriam‑Webster). |
| –yl | Modern chemistry / Neo‑Latin (19th century) | hydrocarbon radical or substituent (mono‑valent) | methyl, ethyl, benzyl | A standard combining/suffix in organic nomenclature denoting radicals or substituents (IUPAC usage). Highly productive in chemical vocabulary and stable in technical register (Merriam‑Webster, IUPAC glossary). |
| –yne | Modern chemistry / IUPAC | denotes an alkyne (carbon–carbon triple bond) | ethyne, propyne, butyne | The systematic suffix for alkynes in organic chemistry (common in technical and educational contexts). Productive in naming chain‑length variants (IUPAC). |
| –ylene | Modern chemistry / Neo‑Latin | divalent hydrocarbon radical; unit with =CH2 or C=C link | ethylene, methylene, xylylene | Used in organic nomenclature for divalent groups or parent alkenes (ethylene) and as a combining form. Common in chemical and polymer vocabulary (IUPAC; chemistry texts). |
| –ynyl | Modern chemistry / Neo‑Latin | alkynyl substituent (derived from an alkyne) | ethynyl, propynyl, butynyl | A productive combining form in organic chemistry for substituents containing a C≡C fragment. Widely used in technical naming and literaure (IUPAC conventions). |
| –ylidene | Modern chemistry / Neo‑Latin | divalent substituent often written =CR2 (bridging group) | benzylidene, phenylidene, chlorobenzylidene | Historical and current technical suffix for certain double‑bonded substituents; appears in organic reaction names and compound names. Standard in specialist nomenclature (IUPAC; organic chemistry references). |
| –ylic | Neo‑Latin / historical chemistry (19th century) | adjective relating to a radical or acid (older usage) | acetylic (obsolete), — | Rare/older chemical adjective suffix (e.g., acetylic) now largely replaced by modern forms (acetic, acetyl‑). Flagged rare/obsolete; attested in 19th‑century literature and some historical dictionaries (OED). |