=Nouns.=--The most important are:--
=-ard=, =-art=, denoting habit, or possession of a quality in an
excessive degree: braggart, coward, drunkard, laggard, reynard,
sluggard, wizard.
=-craft=, strength, skill, cunning: woodcraft, priestcraft,
witchcraft.
=-d=, =-t=, =-th=, suffixed to roots: flood (from the root of flow),
seed (sow); drift (drive), drought (dry), flight (fly); death (die),
birth (bear), sloth (slow), health (heal).
=-dom=, authority, dominion, quality, condition: earldom, kingdom,
christendom, Saxondom, wisdom, freedom, serfdom.
=-en=, gives a diminutive meaning: chicken (little cock), kitten,
maiden.
=-er=, denotes agent: instrument; belonging to (of places): brazier,
farmer, fuller, hater, leader, saw(y)er, writer; grater, heater;
Londoner.
=-hood=, (=-head=), condition, order, collection: brotherhood,
childhood, Godhood, knighthood, manhood, priesthood, wifehood;
Godhead.
=-ing=, (participle) act of, result of act: farthing (fourth),
dwelling, feeling, riding. It is collective in clothing, shipping.
=-kin=, diminutive: bodkin, firkin, lambkin, mannikin.
=-le= or =-l=, diminutive, means: bundle, handle, runnel, saddle (=
little seat), satchel, sickle.
=-ling=, diminutive, sometimes contemptuous: darling, duckling,
firstling, gosling, hireling, nestling, seedling.
=-lock=, state: wedlock.
=-ness=, forms abstract nouns from adjectives, quality, state:
goodness, holiness, weakness.
=-ock=, diminutive: bullock, hillock, paddock (= a little park),
Pollock (= little Paul).
=-m=, or =-om=, forms nouns from verbs: bloom (from blow), gloom
(glow), seam (sew), team (tow).
=-red=, state, sometimes collective, quality: hatred, kindred;
Mildred (mild in counsel), Ethelred (noble in counsel).
=-ric=, office, dominion: bishopric.
=-ship=, state, office: clerkship, fellowship, horsemanship,
lordship, stewardship, worship (= worthship).
=-stead=, place: bedstead, homestead, instead.
=-ster= denotes an agent, (originally a woman), a person who does
something with skill or as an occupation: spinster, chorister,
huckster, maltster, songster, tapster, roadster; baxster (bake-ster),
brewster, webster (the woman who weaves). It is depreciative in:
gamester, punster, oldster, trickster, youngster.
=-th=, =-t=, state, quality, act, number in order: dearth, filth,
mirth, wealth, worth, theft, tenth.
=-ther=, =-der=, or =-ter= denotes an agent: father, mother, brother,
sister; bladder (blow), rudder (row), laughter, water (wet), winter
(wind).
=-wright=, work or workman: millwright, playwright, shipwright,
wheelwright.
=-ward=, keeper: hayward, steward (= sty-keeper), woodward.
=-y=, =-ie=, diminutive: baby, lassie, Tommy, Willie.
=Adjectives.=--Some of the more important are:--
=-ed=, =-d=, the past participle ending, possession: honored, landed
(possessing lands), talented.
=-en=, participial ending, also denotes material: drunken, given,
hewn (= hewen), molten, river; flaxen, golden, silken, silvern,
oaken, wooden; heathen (= belonging to the country).
=-erly=, =-ern=, direction, section: southerly, eastern.
=-fast=, firm: rootfast, shamefaced (= shamefast), steadfast.
=-fold=, times: fourfold, manifold.
=-ful=, full: artful, hopeful, needful, sinful.
=-ish=, similarity, pertaining or belonging to, somewhat: boyish,
brutish, foolish, slavish, English, French, Irish, Scottish, Scotch,
Welsh; blackish, whitish.
=-le=, weakens the root: brittle, fickle, little.
=-less=, without: bloodless, childless, fadeless, toothless.
=-like=, =-ly=, like: childlike, Godlike, ghastly (= ghostly),
womanly.
=-ow=, modern form of old Eng. _-u_: callow, fallow, narrow, yellow.
=-right=, straight (= direct): downright, forthright, upright.
=-some=, like, full: blithesome (showing gladness), burdensome,
gamesome, gladsome, irksome, winsome (wyn = joy).
=-teen=, ten: thirteen, etc.
=-ty=, tens: thirty, etc.
=-ward=, course, direction: awkward (awk = Icelandic afug, back
foremost), cityward(s), landward, westward.
=-wise=, way, manner: lengthwise, likewise, nowise. The word _ways_
is often substituted: endways, sideways.
=-y=, =-ey=, like, of the nature of, covered with: bloody, crafty,
dusty, mighty, stormy, tricky.
VERB AND ADVERB SUFFIXES are much fewer and less important than those
used to form nouns and adjectives. The following may be noted:--
=Verbs.=--
=-en=, is causative, make: cheapen, deepen, gladden, quicken.
=-er=, denotes frequency, (energy): chatter, linger, spatter (spot),
splutter, sputter (spout), waver, whimper (whine).
=-le=, also denotes frequency, sometimes energy: handle, jingle
(chink), joggle, shuffle (shove), sparkle, startle, tickle, tipple,
whittle.
=Adverbs.=--Certain suffixes occur which have already been given,
as:--
=-ly=, manner: awkwardly, falsely, nobly.
=-wise=, manner: crosswise, otherwise.
=-ward=, direction: hitherward.