Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

-an

/ən/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: 6.53 in modern English

Syllables
-an
IPA
/ən/
2
Scrabble Score
2
Letters
2
Syllables
2
Unique Chars

Meaning

suffix

Of or pertaining to; an adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to make an adjective form. (Often added to words of Latin origin, but also used with words of other origins. When a word ends in a, -n is used instead.)

suffix

One from, belonging to, relating to, or like.

suffix

Appended to nouns to form an occupation. (When males with a profession are distinguished from females, males are -an, females -(i)enne.)

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Proto-Italic *-ānos Latin -ānus Old French -ainder. Middle English -an English -an From Middle English -an, regularly -ain, -ein, -en, from Old French -ain, -ein, or before i, -en (modern French -ain, -en, feminine -aine, -enne), from Latin -ānus (feminine -āna), which forms adjectives of belonging or origin from a noun, being -nus [cognate with Ancient Greek -νος (-nos)] preceded by a vowel, from Proto-Indo-European *-nós. Cognate with English -en. Compare with -in, -ine.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Inflected Forms

more -an (comparative) most -an (superlative) -ans (plural) -ian (alternative) -n (alternative)

Synonyms

-al -ar -ese -esque -ic -id -ish -like -oid -ous -y

Homonyms

in -en

Questions

How do you pronounce -an?
The recorded pronunciation is /ən/.
What does -an mean?
Of or pertaining to; an adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to make an adjective form. (Often added to words of Latin origin, but also used with words of other origins. When a word ends in a, -n is used instead.)
Where does -an come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce -an

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “-an”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “-an”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “-an” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.