-ant
a suffix forming adjectives and nouns from verbs, occurring originally in french and latin loanwords (pleasant; constant; servant) and productive in english on this model; -ant, has the general sense “characterized by or serving in the capacity of” that named by the stem (ascendant; pretendant), especially in the formation of nouns denoting human agents in legal actions or other formal procedures (tenant; defendant; applicant; contestant). in technical and commercial coinages, -ant, is a suffix of nouns denoting impersonal physical agents (propellant; lubricant; deodorant). in general, -ant, can be added only to bases of latin origin, with a very few exceptions, as coolant .
see also -ent.
-ant
suffix, suffix
causing or performing an action or existing in a certain condition; the agent that performs an action pleasant, claimant, deodorant, protestant, servant
word origin
from latin -ant-, ending of present participles of the first conjugation
Read Also:
- -anthous
a combining form meaning “having flowers,” of the type or number specified by the initial element, used in the formation of compound words: monanthous.
- -anum
a suffix occurring in scientific words of latin origin: laudanum.
- -anus
a suffix occurring in scientific words of latin origin: plat-n-s.
- -arama
variant of -orama, occurring as the final element in compounds when the first element is a monosyllable, used so that the entire word maintains the same number of syllables as panorama: foodarama; dancearama. -arama related terms -rama
- -arch
a combining form meaning “chief, leader, ruler,” used in the formation of compound words: monarch; matriarch; heresiarch. -arch combining form leader; ruler; chief patriarch, monarch, heresiarch word origin from greek -arkhēs, from arkhein to rule; compare arch-