suffice
/səˈfaɪs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.46 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To be enough or sufficient; to meet the need (of anything); to be adequate; to be good enough.
Intransitive verb
Example Sentences
- "For this plum cake, two eggs should suffice."
- "To recount almighty works, / What words or tongue of seraph can suffice?"
- "A joint of lamb sufficed even his enormous appetite."
- "Lord Brougham's salary would have sufficed more than ninety Prussian judges."
- "During the festival, the temple suffices food to the beggars."
- "The king sufficed his army with food and weapons before the great battle."
Etymology
From Middle English suffisen, from Middle French souffire, from Latin sufficiō (“supply, be adequate”), from sub (“under”) + faciō (“do, make”). Cognate with French suffire.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *dʰeh₁-, suffisen, souffire, sufficiō
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /səˈfaɪs/
- British English: /səˈfaɪs/