-es

See also: Appendix:Variations of "es"

Languages (22)

Catalan • Cornish • Dutch • Esperanto • French • Fwe • German • Hungarian • Latin • Middle English • Middle Welsh • Mohawk • Old English • Old Saxon • Portuguese • Romani • Spanish • Swedish • Welsh • West Frisian • Yola

Page categories

English

Pronunciation

(after sibilant) IPA^(key): /-əz/, /-ɪz/
(after vowel sound) IPA^(key): /-z/
(US, sometimes) IPA^(key): /-iːz/

Etymology 1

From Middle English -es, from Old English -as. More at -s.

Suffix

-es

Used to form the regular plural of nouns that end in a sibilant (/s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /t͡ʃ/, or /d͡ʒ/), such as:
1. (t)ch, when pronounced as /tʃ/: glitch→glitches (but psych→psychs)
2. (j)j: hajj→hajjes (j is only final in loan words raj, hajj)
3. (s)s: bus→buses, Jones → Joneses; waltz → waltzes; yes → yeses.
4. x: box→boxes; crux → cruces
5. (z)z: buzz → buzzes
6. sh: ash→ashes
Used to form the regular plural of nouns that end in a consonant (or qu) + y:
lady→ladies, soliloquy→soliloquies (but key→keys)
Used to form the plural of some nouns that end in a consonant + o:
tomato→tomatoes (but soprano→sopranos)
(dialectal) Used to form the regular plural of nouns that end in /sp/, /st/, /sk/
post→postes /ˈpəʊstɪz/, /ˈpoʊstɪz/ (standard posts)

Usage notes

Nouns that end in silent e in the singular regularly form their plural with the ending -s, e.g. "fence" /ˈfɛns/→"fences" /ˈfɛnsɪz/, "bridge" /ˈbɹɪd͡ʒ/→"bridges" /ˈbɹɪd͡ʒɪz/.

A handful of words that end in the sound /s/ have developed optional (and sometimes proscribed) alternative plural forms that end in /siːz/ (pronounced like seize) in place of /sɪz/: commonly heard examples are processes and biases. This may be due to influence from the standard plurals of words like parentheses and hypotheses (where -ses /siːz/ replaces -sis /sɪs/ in the singular).

Etymology 2

From Middle English -es, -is, from Old English -es, -as, Northern variants of -est, -ast (second person singular indicative ending). Replaced Middle English -eth, from Old English -eþ, -aþ. The falling together of the second and third person singular verb forms in Old English is believed to be due to Scandinavian influence, where the employment of the same verbal endings for both 2nd and 3rd singular indicative follows a similar pattern to that seen in Old Norse (e.g. þú masar, hann masar; þú þekkir, hann þekkir; etc.).

Suffix

-es

Used to form the third person singular present indicative of regular verbs:
1. that end in (t)ch pronounced as /tʃ/: impeach→impeaches (but psych→psychs)
2. that end in (s)s: miss → misses, yes → yesses; bus → buses; buss → busses
3. that end in x: tax → taxes; rendezvous → rendezvouses.
4. that end in (z)z: fizz→fizzes;
5. that end in consonant + o in some cases: go→goes (but radio→radios)
6. that end in sh: wish→wishes
7. that end in consonant (or qu) + y: cry→cries (but buy→buys)

Etymology 3

See -s, -'s.

Suffix

-es

(obsolete, no longer productive) Possessive marker; see -s, -'s.
- 1573, An exposition of the kinges prerogative, collected out of the great Abridgement of Justice Fitzherbert and other olde writers of the lawes of England, page 38:
  ... whereupon king Henry his sonne, as it may appeare by the later clause of this chapter, recouered diuers eschet[s] of lande within this Realme holden by Normans, whiche after they began to adhere to the French king, the kinges enimy […]

Anagrams

-se, SE, Se., se, se.

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin -ās.

Suffix

-es f

plural of -a

Cornish

Etymology 1

From Proto-Brythonic *-öd, from Proto-Celtic *-o-tūts. Cognate with Welsh -yd.

Suffix

-es m

Forms masculine abstract nouns
‎sygh (“dry”) + ‎-es → ‎syghes (“dryness”)

‎yagh (“healthy”) + ‎-es → ‎yeghes (“health”)

Derived terms

Cornish terms suffixed with -es (abstract)

boghes

seghes

yeghes

Etymology 2

Possibly from English -es.

Suffix

-es

Plural ending
‎myrgh (“girl”) + ‎-es → ‎myrghes (“girls”)

‎mil (“animal”) + ‎-es → ‎miles (“animals”)

‎nader (“adder”) + ‎-es → ‎nadres (“adders”)

Derived terms

Cornish terms suffixed with -es (plural)

Etymology 3

Inherited from Proto-Brythonic *-ɨd, from Proto-Celtic *-eti.

Suffix

-es

Forms verbal nouns
‎gwel (“sight”) + ‎-es → ‎gweles (“to see”)

Etymology 4

Inherited from Proto-Brythonic *-es, from Late Latin -issa. Cognate with Breton -ez and Welsh -es.

Suffix

-es f (plural -esow)

Forms feminine nouns
‎duw (“god”) + ‎-es → ‎duwes (“goddess”)

‎abas (“abbot”) + ‎-es → ‎abases (“abbess”)

‎gwarier (“actor”) + ‎-es → ‎gwariores (“actress”)

Derived terms

Cornish terms suffixed with -es (feminine)

References

Dr Ken George, editor (2020), An Gerlyver Meur, 3rd edition, page 192

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch -esse, borrowed from Northern Old French -esse, from Late Latin -issa (as in abbātissa (“abbess”)).^[1]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /-ɛs/

Suffix

-es

creates the female form of persons or occupations, as English -ess
zanger (“singer, songster”) → zangeres (“female singer; songstress, singeress”)

Derived terms

Related terms

-in

References

^ A. van Loey, "Schönfeld's Historische Grammatica van het Nederlands", Zutphen, 8. druk, 1970, →ISBN; § 180

Esperanto

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /-es/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -es
Syllabification: -es

Suffix

-es

belonging to. (Ending for genitive correlatives.)

Derived terms

ĉies (“belonging to everyone, everyone's”)
ies (“belonging to someone, someone's”)
kies (“belonging to whom, whose”)
nenies (“belonging to nobody, nobody's”)
(nonce) alies (“belonging to someone else, someone else's”)
ties (“belonging to that one, that one's”)

French

Etymology

From Latin -ās.

Suffix

-es

forms the second-person singular present indicative form of a verb
forms the second-person singular present subjunctive form of a verb

Fwe

Suffix

-es

alternative form of -is

German

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /-əs/

Suffix

-es

alternative form of -s (genitive ending)

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /-ɛs/

Suffix

-es (invariable)

(music) flat, ♭
Antonym: -is (“sharp”)

‎A + ‎-es → ‎As (“A flat”)

‎B + ‎-es → ‎Bes (“B double flat”)

‎C + ‎-es → ‎Ces (“C flat”)

‎D + ‎-es → ‎Des (“D flat”)

‎E + ‎-es → ‎Es (“E flat”)

‎F + ‎-es → ‎Fes (“F flat”)

‎G + ‎-es → ‎Ges (“G flat”)

Usage notes

The -e- is omitted from the suffix when it is attached to a vowel letter (e.g. A + -es → As, not *Aes).

Derived terms

-eses (“double flat”)

Hungarian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ɛʃ]
Rhymes: -ɛʃ

Suffix

-es

(adjective-forming suffix) Added to a noun to form an adjective meaning "having something, a quality"; sometimes referred to as ornative.
‎kert (“garden”) + ‎-es → ‎kertes (“something with a garden, having a garden”)
(noun-forming suffix) Added to a noun to form an occupation or a collective noun.
‎perec (“pretzel”) + ‎-es → ‎pereces (“someone who sells pretzels”)

‎meggy (“morello, sour cherry”) + ‎-es → ‎meggyes (“cherry orchard”)
(number-forming suffix) Added to a cardinal number to form a digit or figure, cf. the relevant template.
‎egy (“one”) + ‎-es → ‎egyes (“the digit or figure 1”)

Usage notes

(all senses) Variants:
-s is added to words ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-. Final -e changes to -é-.

-os is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant

-as is added to other back-vowel words ending in a consonant

-es is added to unrounded (and some rounded) front-vowel words ending in a consonant

-ös is added to most rounded front-vowel words ending in a consonant

Derived terms

Hungarian adjectives suffixed with -es

Latin

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [eːs]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [es]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Italic *-ēi(s), from Proto-Indo-European *-ḗy, a hysterokinetic *-ey-stem suffix only otherwise found in words like Hittite [script needed] (utnē).

Suffix

-ēs f (genitive -is); third declension

used to form a third-declension feminine abstract noun designating the result of an action from a verb root or conceived root form
caedō (“to kill or cut”) → caedēs (“slaughter”)

sedeō (“to sit”) → sēdēs (“seat”)

Declension

Third-declension noun (i-stem).

	singular	plural
nominative	-ēs	-ēs
genitive	-is	-ium
dative	-ī	-ibus
accusative	-em	-ēs -īs
ablative	-e	-ibus
vocative	-ēs	-ēs

Further forms are nom.sg. -is (e.g. caedis, sedis) and gen.pl. -um (e.g. caedum, sedum).

Synonyms

-or, -us

Derived terms

Latin terms suffixed with -es (abstract noun)

Etymology 2

From *-h₁i-t-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey-, the root of eō, īre (“to go”). Because the nominative singular would regularly have developed to *-is, the attested ending *-es has to be explained as an analogical replacement based on the alternation between -ĕ- in the closed final syllable of the nominative singular and -ĭ- in the open medial syllable of oblique forms that developed regularly in other nouns as a result of the sound change of vowel reduction.^[1]

Suffix

-es m (genitive -itis); third declension

used to form third-declension nouns, most of which have senses along the lines of 'one who goes (by)'
equus (“horse”) → eques (“cavalryman; equestrian; knight”)

Declension

Third-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	-es	-itēs
genitive	-itis	-itum
dative	-itī	-itibus
accusative	-item	-itēs
ablative	-ite	-itibus
vocative	-es	-itēs

Derived terms

Latin terms suffixed with -es (t-stem)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Suffix

-ēs

second-person singular present active subjunctive of -ō (first conjugation)

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Suffix

-es

nominative/accusative/vocative masculine/feminine plural of -s

References

^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “comes”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 129

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English -as (a-stem nominative/accusative plural suffix), of disputed origin.

Alternative forms

-as, -æs (Early Middle English); -s (especially Late Middle English)
-is, -ys (Northern, Early Scots); -us (West Midland)

Suffix

-es

Used to form the (nominative/accusative) plural form of regular nouns.

Usage notes

Especially after the Early Middle English period, this suffix often (but not always) takes the form -s after polysyllabic nouns, though in nouns ending in the sequences /əl/, /əm/, /ən/, /ər/, the /ə/ of the root may be dropped instead, as in thondres (“thunders”). However, due to the influence of the Old French plural suffix -s, even monosyllabic nouns borrowed from Old French often take -s; if they end in /t/, this is often lost before the suffix: servauns (“servants”), following the parallel simplifications of Middle English /ts/ and Old French /t͡s/ to /s/.
Due to Old English and early Middle English sound changes, the noun stem may undergo modification when this suffix is attached, most notably:
- Replacement of the voiceless fricatives /f/, /s/, /θ/ with voiced /v/, /z/, /ð/, as lyf:lyves.
- Lengthening of vowels, as in blad (/blad/):blades (/ˈblaːdəs/), though this tends to be levelled out.

Descendants

English: -s, -es (see there for further descendants)
Middle Scots: -is, -s
- Scots: -s, -es

References

“-(e)s, suf.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
d'Ardenne, S[imonne] R. T. O. (1961) [1936], “Language”, in Þe Liflade ant te Passiun of Seinte Iuliene (Early English Text Society; 248), London: Oxford University Press for the Early English Text Society, →OCLC, § 77, page 216.
Sandved, Arthur (1985), “10. Inflection”, in Introduction to Chaucerian English (Chaucer Studies; 11), Part II: Morphology, Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, →ISBN, →OCLC, pages 46-47.

Etymology 2

From Old English -es, from Proto-West Germanic *-as, form Proto-Germanic *-as.

The use of this suffix as a genitive plural is due to the combined influence of its use as a genitive singular and the plural suffix -es.

Alternative forms

-s (mostly Late Middle English)
-is, -ys (Northern, Early Scots); -us (West Midland)

Suffix

-es

Used to form the genitive singular of nouns.
Used to form the genitive plural of nouns.
Synonyms: -ene, -e (both less common)
(Early Middle English, rare) Forms the strong genitive singular of adjectives.

Usage notes

Certain nouns may take no genitive ending, especially z-stems, and in Southern Middle English, nouns derived from Old English feminines; see those nouns' entries for details. Especially in Northern Middle English, there is also a tendency to omit the genitive in nouns denoting people, especially proper names. In some situations it is difficult to determine whether these nouns should be considered an endingless genitive or an nominative/accusative being used attributively.^[1]^[2]^[3]
Beginning in the last quarter of the 14th century, this suffix comes to follow a noun phrase rather than a single noun in the so-called "group genitive" construction.^[4]^[3]
Nouns ending with (nominative/accusative) plural suffixes other than -es tend to avoid taking this ending for the genitive plural: instead, following a Middle English tendency to eliminate case distinctions in the plural, consonant stems undergo umlaut, weak nouns/n-stems take -ene, and z-stems take -re or -rene.^[5] Though traces of the modern English pattern where -'s is added after irregular plural forms are visible in late Middle English forms such as childrenes (“children's”) for earlier childrene, the nonattestation of forms such as *fetes (“feet's”) and oxenes (“oxen's”) demonstrates that the reinterpretation of the genitive ending as a clitic is still incomplete by the end of the period.
Like the plural suffix -es, this suffix may induce alternations in the noun stem or be simplified to -s before polysyllabic nouns and nouns borrowed from French, though these tendencies are relatively circumscribed: certain alternations do not occur with this suffix and it retains its full form more often than the plural suffix.
In adjectives, this suffix is abandoned from an early stage due to the analogy of the weak declension and other cases, furthermore, the presence of the nominal genitive ending -es rendered it both superfluous and vulnerable to of long-distance haplology.

Descendants

English: -'s
Middle Scots: -is, -s
- Scots: -'s

References

^ “-(e)s, suf.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
^ Mossé, Fernand (1952), “V. The Substantives”, in James A. Walker, transl., A Handbook of Middle English‎^[1], I. Grammar: Part Two. The Forms, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, translation of Manuel du l'Anglais de Moyen Age des Origines au XIVe Siècle (in French), →OCLC, § 56, page 49.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Mustanoja, Tauno F. (1960), “Case”, in A Middle English Syntax (Mémoires de la Société Néophilologique de Helsinki; 23), volume I: Parts of Speech, Helsinki: Société Néophilologique, pages 71-72, 78; republished at Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2016, →DOI, →ISBN.
^ Allen, Cynthia (13 November 2008), “4. Genitive case in Middle English”, in Genitives in Early English: Typology and Evidence, Oxford University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, § 4.4, page 152.
^ Berndt, Rolf (1968), “Bemerkungen zur geschichtlichen Entwicklung der englischen Sprache”, in Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik, volume 16, number 2, Leipzig: VEB Verlag Enzyklopädie, page 167.

Etymology 3

From the Old English adverbial suffix -es, taken from the genitive singular suffix -es due to the analogy of genitive singular forms bearing the suffix used adverbially, although applied indiscriminately to adverbs, prepositions, and nouns which formed the genitive singular differently; see Etymology 2.

Alternative forms

-s

Suffix

-es

Forms adverbs from nouns, prepositions, or other adverbs, denoting means, place, or time.

Usage notes

As adverbs often receive reduced sentence stress, this suffix often takes the form -s even when added to monosyllabic roots; however, these forms tended to alternate with unreduced forms in -es rather than being used exclusively.

Derived terms

Middle English terms suffixed with -es (adverbial)

Descendants

English: -s, -st, -ce (as in once, since)
Middle Scots: -is, -s
- Scots: -s, -st, -ce (as in ance/yince)

References

“-(e)s, suf.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 4

inherited from Anglian Old English -as (class 2 weak second-person singular),^[1] from Proto-West Germanic *-ōs, from Proto-Germanic *-ōsi, from Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yési. Compare the competing second-person singular suffix -est.

In Northumbrian Old English, -as was extended to the third-person singular as a semantic loan from Old Norse -ar, -ir, -r, which formed both the second- and third-person singular present indicative.^[2] The model provided by the resultant variation in third-person singular forms soon led to -aþ being supplemented by -as in the plural as well, with the innovative forms in /s/ eventually mostly displacing those in /θ/ in Northern Middle English. However, it is occasionally supposed that the third-person singular and plural are unrelated to the second-person singular, with the former deriving from Old English -aþ (the failure of /θ/ to become /s/ elsewhere is explained by this being a special assimilatory or dissimilatory form that was subsequently generalised)^[3] and the latter deriving from the Old English nominative/accusative noun plural -as. Yet another hypothesis posits that third-person singular ending was generalised from the final consonant of is.^[4]

Alternative forms

-is, -us, -ys
-s (especially Late Middle English)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /-(ə)s/

Suffix

-es (especially Northern, North Midland)

Used to form the second-person singular present indicative of verbs.
Used to form the third-person singular present indicative of verbs.
Used to form the plural present indicative of verbs.
(Late Middle English) Used to form the first-person singular present indicative of verbs.

Usage notes

In the plural and first-person singular present indicative, the use of this suffix is often regulated by the Northern Subject Rule: verbs do not take it when they are directly adjacent to the plural personal pronouns we, yow, and þei and first-person singular personal pronoun I/ik respectively.
In the East and West Ridings of Yorkshire and North Midland Middle English, this suffix competes with -en in the plural present indicative: it is more common in the East and West Ridings, Lancashire, and Lincolnshire, but less common in Cheshire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire.^[5]
In the third-person singular present indicative, this suffix gradually penetrates southwards over the course of the Middle English period (replacing -eth), although it does not become usual in the standard language until after the Middle English period.^[1]
The syncopation of this suffix's vowel is especially frequent in Later Middle English and after vowel-final verb stems; only syncopated forms are found in the Early Modern standard.^[6]
Preterite-present verbs usually do not take this suffix, but instead remain endingless in the second-person indicative singular in Northern Middle English; compare Northern Middle English þou may with East Midland Middle English þou mayst.

Descendants

English: -s (-es after sibilants)
Middle Scots: -is
- Scots: -s (-es after sibilants)

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 “-(e)s, suf.(4).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
^ Luick, Karl (1929-1940), Herbert Wild, Friedrich Koziol, editors, Historische Grammatik der englischen Sprache‎^[2], Erster Band, II. Abteilung, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, published 1940, →OCLC, § 698, page 924.
^ Jespersen, Otto (1942), A Modern English Grammar on Historical Principles (Sammlung germanischer Elementar- und Handbücher; 9)‎^[3], volume VI: Morphology, London: George Allen & Unwin, published 1961, § 3.5, page 17.
^ Brunner, Karl (1962), “V. Verba”, in Die Englische Sprache: Ihre Geschichtliche Entwicklung (Sammlung kurzer Grammatiken germanischer Dialekte; B: Ergänzungsreihe; 6) (in German), second revised edition, volume II, Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag, →OCLC, Dritter Teil: Die Flexionsformen und ihre Verwendung, page 193.
^ McIntosh, Angus; Samuels, M[ichael] L.; Benskin, Michael (2013) [1986], Michael Benskin, Margaret Laing, editors, eLALME: A Linguistic Atlas of Late Medieval English‎^[4], Edinburgh: Angus McIntosh Centre for Historical Linguistics; revised November 2024.
^ Dobson, E[ric] J. (1957), English pronunciation 1500-1700‎^[5], second edition, volume II: Phonology, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1968, →OCLC, § 313, pages 883-884.

Etymology 5

Suffix

-es

alternative form of -yssh

Etymology 6

Suffix

-es

alternative form of -esse (-ess)

Middle Welsh

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *-es, from Latin -issa, whence also English -ess. Cognate with Cornish -es.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /-es/

Suffix

-es f (plural -esseu)

female suffix, -ess

Derived terms

Middle Welsh terms suffixed with -es

arglwydes

brenhines

Mohawk

Suffix

-es

long
with tsi ni-: during

Old English

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /es/

Etymology 1

The a-stem genitive singular ending is derived from Proto-West Germanic *-as, from Proto-Germanic *-as. Based on the voiceless *s, Ringe 2006 argues that this ending was analogically taken from the genitive singular determiner *þas, from *tósyo.^[1]

Alternative forms

-æs — early

Suffix

-es

genitive case/possessive marker for a-stem nouns, indicating that an object belongs to the noun
‎hund (“dog”) + ‎-es → ‎hundes (“dog's”)

‎sċip (“ship”) + ‎-es → ‎sċipes (“ship's”)
forms the strong masculine/neuter genitive singular of adjectives
used in formation of adverbs, originally from the genitive of masculine and neuter nouns, but later added also to feminine nouns by analogy
dæġes (adverb) ― by day

nihtes (adverb) ― by night

Derived terms

Old English terms suffixed with -es

Descendants

Middle English: -es, -s (mostly Late Middle English), -is, -ys (Northern, Early Scots), -us (West Midland)
- English: -'s
- Middle Scots: -is, -s
  - Scots: -'s
⇒ Middle English: -es, -s
- English: -s, -st, -ce (as in once, since)
- Middle Scots: -is, -s
  - Scots: -s, -st, -ce (as in ance/yince)

References

^ Ringe, Donald (2006), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic (A Linguistic History of English; 1)‎^[6], 1st edition, Oxford: University Press, →ISBN, page 201

Etymology 2

Suffix

-es (Anglian)

Alternative form of -est; marks the second person singular of class I weak verbs
‎worða (“to become”) + ‎-es → ‎worðes (“you become”)

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *-as, *-is, from Proto-Indo-European *-es, *-oes (plural ending).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /-ɛs/

Suffix

-es

possessive marker, indicating that an object belongs to the noun
used in formation of adverbs
dages (adverb) ― days

nahtes (adverb) ― nights

Descendants

Middle Low German: -es, -s
- Low German: -s (adverbial suffix)

Portuguese

Etymology 1

From Latin -ēs (2nd conj.), -is (3rd conj.), -īs (4th conj.).

Suffix

-es (non-lemma form of verb-forming suffix)

forms the 2^nd-person singular present indicative of 2^nd and 3^rd conjugation verbs
forms the 2^nd-person singular present subjunctive of 1^st conjugation verbs
forms the 2^nd-person singular negative imperative of 1^st conjugation verbs

Etymology 2

From Latin -ēs (accusative plural of masculine and feminine 3rd-declension nouns)

Suffix

-es m pl or f pl (non-lemma form of noun-forming suffix or adjective-forming suffix)

forms the plural of nouns and adjectives ending in -r, -z, stressed -s and of some ending in -n

Etymology 3

From Old Galician-Portuguese -ez, further origins unknown. The preferred options are that it was either an internal innovation (from a reanalysis of the genitive in names ending with -ricus, i.e. -rici, as naming suffix) or a borrowing from pre-Roman languages (given the various forms the suffix took in the Middle Ages). Compare Spanish -ez.

Suffix

-es m or f by sense (proper noun-forming suffix)

(no longer productive) -son (a suffix added to a given name to form a patronymic surname)
Alternative form: -s

‎Fernando + ‎-es → ‎Fernandes (“son of Fernando”)

‎Henrique + ‎-es → ‎Henriques (“son of Henrique”)

‎Martim + ‎-es → ‎Martins (“son of Martim”)

‎Rodrigo + ‎-es → ‎Rodrigues (“son of Rodrigo”)

References

PIEL, J. M. (1963), “Sobre os apelidos portugueses do tipo patronímico em-ici/-es”, in Boletim de Filologia, pages 59–63
BOULLÓN AGRELO, Ana Isabel (1995), “Cronoloxía e variación das fórmulas patronímicas na Galica altomedieval”, in Verba, number 22, pages 449–475
BOBONE, Carlos (2017), Os Apelidos Portugueses-Um Panorama Histórico, Leya
LAPESA, Rafael (1968), Historia de la lengua española

Romani

Etymology

Inherited from Sanskrit -अस्य (-asya).

Suffix

-es

desinence used to form the singular accusative case of oikoclitic (pre-European) masculine animate nouns

Derived terms

-es-

References

Yūsuke Sumi (2018), “-es”, in ニューエクスプレスプラス　ロマ（ジプシー）語 [New Express Plus Romani (Gypsy)] (in Japanese), Tokyo: Hakusuisha, published 2021, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 48
Yaron Matras (2002), “Historical and linguistic origins”, in Romani: A Linguistic Introduction‎^[7], Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 39

Spanish

Etymology 1

From Latin -ēs, the accusative plural ending of most third declension nouns.

Suffix

-es

suffix indicating the plural of nouns and adjectives ending in certain consonants (most often -l, -r, -n, -d, -z, -j, -s, -x, -ch, with some exceptions).

Related terms

-s

Etymology 2

From Latin -ēs, Latin -is, and Latin -īs, the second-person singular present active indicative endings of second, third, and fourth conjugation verbs, respectively.

Suffix

-es

suffix indicating the second-person singular present indicative of -er and -ir verbs.

Etymology 3

From Latin -ēs, the second-person singular present active subjunctive ending of first conjugation verbs.

Suffix

-es

suffix indicating the second-person singular present subjunctive of -ar verbs

Swedish

Etymology 1

Variant of -s (etymology 2) with a reduction of the preceding -a.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /-ˌɛs/

Suffix

-es

Marks the present tense passive of verbs of the second and fourth conjugations (weak and strong -er verbs respectively) that have stems ending in s.

Usage notes

Verms whose stems do not end in -s normally take the -s suffix for the passive voice. Until the middle decades of the 20th century (approximately), the norm in writing was to use -es with all -er verbs, but this use is considered archaic today.

Etymology 2

Ultimately from Latin -ensis.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /-ˈeːs/

Suffix

-es

-ese; forms a nationality from the name of a country.
‎Kina + ‎-es → ‎kines

‎Siam + ‎-es → ‎siames

Derived terms

Swedish terms suffixed with -es

Anagrams

se

Welsh

Pronunciation

(North Wales, standard, colloquial) IPA^(key): /-ɛs/
- (North Wales, colloquial) IPA^(key): /-as/
(South Wales) IPA^(key): /-ɛs/

Etymology 1

From Middle Welsh -es, from Proto-Brythonic *-es, from Latin -issa, whence also English -ess. Cognate with Cornish -es.

Suffix

-es f (plural -esau)

female suffix
Synonym: -wraig

‎athro (“male teacher”) + ‎-es → ‎athrawes (“female teacher”)

‎gweinydd (“waiter”) + ‎-es → ‎gweinyddes (“waitress”)

‎Norwy (“Norway”) + ‎-es → ‎Norwyes (“Norwegian woman”)

‎cadno (“fox”) + ‎-es → ‎cadnawes (“vixen”)

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Suffix

-es f

collective noun
‎brân (“crow”) + ‎-es → ‎branes (“flight of crows”)

‎llong (“ship”) + ‎-es → ‎llynges (“navy, fleet”)

Derived terms

Welsh terms suffixed with -es (collective)

llynges

References

R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “-es”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

-ais

Pronunciation

(North Wales) IPA^(key): /-ɛs/, /-ɛʃ/, /-ɪʃ/
(South Wales) IPA^(key): /-ɛs/

Suffix

-es

(colloquial) verb suffix for the first-person singular preterite

West Frisian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /-əs/

Suffix

-es

Used to form possessive pronouns from possessive determiners
‎myn + ‎-es → ‎mines

‎jo + ‎-es → ‎jowes

Yola

Suffix

-es

alternative form of -ès

[1] A. van Loey, "Schönfeld's Historische Grammatica van het Nederlands", Zutphen, 8. druk, 1970, →ISBN; § 180

[2] De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “comes”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 129

[3] “-(e)s, suf.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

[4] Mossé, Fernand (1952), “V. The Substantives”, in James A. Walker, transl., A Handbook of Middle English‎^[1], I. Grammar: Part Two. The Forms, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, translation of Manuel du l'Anglais de Moyen Age des Origines au XIVe Siècle (in French), →OCLC, § 56, page 49.

[Mustanoja-5] 3.0 ^3.1 Mustanoja, Tauno F. (1960), “Case”, in A Middle English Syntax (Mémoires de la Société Néophilologique de Helsinki; 23), volume I: Parts of Speech, Helsinki: Société Néophilologique, pages 71-72, 78; republished at Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2016, →DOI, →ISBN.

[6] Allen, Cynthia (13 November 2008), “4. Genitive case in Middle English”, in Genitives in Early English: Typology and Evidence, Oxford University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, § 4.4, page 152.

[7] Berndt, Rolf (1968), “Bemerkungen zur geschichtlichen Entwicklung der englischen Sprache”, in Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik, volume 16, number 2, Leipzig: VEB Verlag Enzyklopädie, page 167.

[MED-8] 1.0 ^1.1 “-(e)s, suf.(4).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

[9] Luick, Karl (1929-1940), Herbert Wild, Friedrich Koziol, editors, Historische Grammatik der englischen Sprache‎^[2], Erster Band, II. Abteilung, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, published 1940, →OCLC, § 698, page 924.

[10] Jespersen, Otto (1942), A Modern English Grammar on Historical Principles (Sammlung germanischer Elementar- und Handbücher; 9)‎^[3], volume VI: Morphology, London: George Allen & Unwin, published 1961, § 3.5, page 17.

[11] Brunner, Karl (1962), “V. Verba”, in Die Englische Sprache: Ihre Geschichtliche Entwicklung (Sammlung kurzer Grammatiken germanischer Dialekte; B: Ergänzungsreihe; 6) (in German), second revised edition, volume II, Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag, →OCLC, Dritter Teil: Die Flexionsformen und ihre Verwendung, page 193.

[12] McIntosh, Angus; Samuels, M[ichael] L.; Benskin, Michael (2013) [1986], Michael Benskin, Margaret Laing, editors, eLALME: A Linguistic Atlas of Late Medieval English‎^[4], Edinburgh: Angus McIntosh Centre for Historical Linguistics; revised November 2024.

[13] Dobson, E[ric] J. (1957), English pronunciation 1500-1700‎^[5], second edition, volume II: Phonology, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1968, →OCLC, § 313, pages 883-884.

[14] Ringe, Donald (2006), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic (A Linguistic History of English; 1)‎^[6], 1st edition, Oxford: University Press, →ISBN, page 201

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