-ous

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Etymology

From Middle English -ous, from Old French -ous, -os, -us, from Latin -ōsus.

Many English adjectives ending in -ous were taken from preexisting French or Latin adjectives that end in one of the above suffixes (e.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /-əs/

Suffix

1. Used to form adjectives from nouns, to denote:
   1. possession of

      bulb + -ous → bulbous

   2. presence of a quality in any degree (typically abundance of)

      courage + -ous → courageous

      joy + -ous → joyous

      poison + -ous → poisonous

      riot + -ous → riotous

   3. relation or pertinence to

      aptonym + -ous → aptonymous

      arrhenotoky + -ous → arrhenotokous

2. (chemistry) Used in chemical nomenclature to name chemical compounds in which a specified chemical element has a lower oxidation number than in the equivalent compound whose name ends in the suffix -ic. For example sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄) has more oxygen atoms per molecule than sulphurous acid (H₂SO₃). See Inorganic nomenclature.

Synonyms

• -y
• (possession of) -ate

Related terms

• -osity
• -ose

Translations

• French: -eux, -euse
• German: -haft, -ös
• Italian: -oso, -osa
• Portuguese: -oso
• Russian: -озный
• Spanish: -oso, -udo

Translations

• Russian: -истый
• Spanish: -oso

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