From Middle English -al, from the Latin adjective suffix -ālis, or French, Middle French and Old French -el, -al.
-al
- Of or pertaining to. Adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to make an adjective form. Often added to words of Latin origin, but used with other words also.
- base + -al → basal
- cranium + -al → cranial
- Forming nouns, especially of verbal action.
- propose + -al → proposal
- deny + -al → denial
- bestow + -al → bestowal
If the root word contains l, the variant -ar is often used instead (e.g. solar, lunar, columnar, lumbar), unless the root contains r after the l (lateral, plural). Sometimes both forms are found: linear, lineal. One also sees -ial, as in manorial.
As nominalizer, some verbs have two corresponding nouns, one ending in -al and the other in -tion/-sion (more common suffix), with one or the other being more common, sometimes with different nuances. Notable examples: disposition/disposal (dispose), proposition/proposal (propose), submission/submittal (submit), transmission/transmittal (transmit). Some superficial pairs are actually of different origin, notably reversion/reversal (revert/reverse, not both from reverse).
- (of or pertaining to): Category:English terms suffixed with -al
- (forming nouns, especially of verbal action.): arousal, arrival, bestowal, betrothal, denial, disposal, proposal, rental, rival, reversal, removal, subdual, submittal, transmittal
- -ical
Back-formation from aldehyde.
-al
- (organic chemistry) Forms the names of aldehydes.
-al
- A suffix used to form the plurals of inanimate words.
- pessimen (“currant”) → pessimenal (“currants”)
- wôbigen (“it is white”) → wôbigenal (“they are white”)
- -al is the most common suffix used to form the plurals of inanimate words, including most body parts and some words ending in the vowel a.
- See the usage notes at -ak.
-al
- for [...] reason (ending for correlatives of reason)
- alial (“for another reason”)
- ĉial (“for every reason”)
- ial (“for any/some reason”)
- kial (“for what reason, why”)
- nenial (“for no reason”)
- tial (“for that reason, therefore”)
From -a- (linking vowel) + -l (verb-forming suffix).
-al
- (verb-forming suffix) Added to a noun to form a verb.
- szárny (“a wing”) + -al → szárnyal (“to soar”)
- (noun-forming suffix) Added to a verb to form a noun. No longer productive in this role.
- von (“to pull”) + -al → vonal (“line”)
- (organic chemistry) -al (forms the names of aldehydes)
- etanal ― ethanal
- (verb-forming suffix) Variants:
- -l is added to words ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-. Final -e changes to -é-. Final long vowels may shorten, e.g. ű → ü.
- -ol is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -al is added to other back-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -el is added to unrounded (and some rounded) front-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -öl is added to most rounded front-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -ál is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant
Note: Certain words take another, synonymous suffix, -z/-oz/-az/-ez/-öz/-áz or -zik/-ozik/-azik/-ezik/-özik.
- (noun-forming suffix) Variants:
- -al is added to back-vowel words
- -el is added to front-vowel words
Borrowed from Old French -al, -el and its source Latin -ālis.
- IPA(key): /-al/, /-aːl/, /-ɛl/, /-ɛːl/
-al
- (chiefly not productive) Forms adjectives from Latin and Romance vocabulary.
-al
- A suffix used to form the plurals of inanimate words.
- síipuw (“river”) → siipúwal (“rivers”)
- máxkeew (“it is red”) → maxkéewal (“they are red”)
- -al is the most common suffix used to form the plurals of inanimate words, including most body parts and some words ending in the vowel a.
From Old French -al, from Latin -ālis.
-al
- -al (of or pertaining to; adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to make an adjective form)
Borrowed from Latin -ālis. Compare the inherited -el.
-al
- suffix used to form adjectives from nouns
- mesnal (from mesnee) ― domestic; household
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-aľь.
- IPA(key): /al/
- Rhymes: -al
- Syllabification: al
-al m
- forms masculine nouns, usually augmentative in nature
- nos + -al → nochal
Animate/personal:
Inanimate:
Surnames:
- -al in Polish dictionaries at PWN
- Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
From Old Galician-Portuguese -al, from Latin -ālis.
-al m or f (adjective-forming suffix, plural -ais)
- appended to noun X, forms adjectives meaning “of or relating to X”
- Synonyms: -ar, -ário, -eal, -eiro, -ial, -ico, -inal
- abismo (“abyss”) + -al → abismal (“abyssal; abysmal”)
- indústria (“factory; industry”) + -al → industrial (“industrial”)
- forms synonyms of adjectives containing the suffix -ico
- angélico (“angelic”) + -al → angelical (“angelical”)
-al m (noun-forming suffix, plural -ais)
- appended to noun X, forms nouns meaning “a collection X” or “a large quantity of X”
- Synonym: -ário
- ninho (“nest”) + -al → ninhal (“a bunch of nests”)
- edito (“edict”) + -al → edital (“notice board”)
- appended to noun X, forms nouns meaning “a place where there is plenty of X” or "field where a plant is cultivated"
- Synonyms: -açal, -egal, -eiro
- trigo (“wheat”) + -al → trigal (“wheatfield”)
- sobreiro (“cork oak”) + -al → sobreiral (“an orchard of cork oaks”)
- pedra (“rock”) + -al → pedregal (“a rocky field”)
- colmeia (“beehive”) + -al → colmeal (“a place with many beehives”)
From the first syllable of álcool (“alcohol”) and aldeído (“aldehyde”).
-al m (noun-forming suffix, plural -ais)
- (chemistry) forms the names of alcohols
- (chemistry) forms the names of aldehydes
Inherited from Latin -ālis.
-al m or f (adjective-forming suffix, masculine and feminine plural -ales)
- In adjectives, indicating relation.
- cultura (“culture”) + -al → cultural (“cultural”)
-al m (noun-forming suffix, plural -ales)
- In nouns, indicating a place where something is grown, or where there is plenty of it.
- Synonym: -ar
- maíz (“corn”) + -al → maizal (“corn field”)
- naranja (“orange”) + -al → naranjal (“orange grove”)
- escoria (“scoria”) + -al → escorial (“bed of lava”)
-al
- -al, of or pertaining to; forming an adjective from a noun