inflectional suffix
- noun
- /ɪnˈflɛkʃənəl ˈsʌfɪks/
- Specialized
:
sufijo flexional
- In English, the inflectional suffix 'ed' indicates that a verb is in the past tense.
Examples
-
The plural form of nouns often uses the inflectional suffix 's' to show more than one.
-
Teachers often explain how an inflectional suffix can change the form of a word without altering its meaning.
-
In fact, because of that language's use of inflectional suffixes, rhyming words are so common in Italian that avoiding rhyme completely is probably as difficult as using a simple verse form.
Academic text (2003)
Synonyms
43
2.8
The letters added to a word to change its form, for example -s or -ness
5
2.8
Letters added to the end of a word to make a new word or change its form
Letters added to the end of a word to show grammar, such as tense, number or case
Something you add to the end of a word to change its meaning or form
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'inflectional' (modifications that mark grammatical features) modifies 'suffix' (letters appended to a word), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer a suffix that marks grammar. This is a common morphological concept across many languages and follows standard English word-formation patterns, making it transparent to learners who know the parts.
Etymology
Inflectional suffix is a name for a small ending or suffix added to a word like a tail that shows grammar information such as 'tense', 'number', or 'case'. So adding endings like -ed or -s changes the word's grammar but not its main 'meaning' or 'word type'.