*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -ence

From Middle English -ence, from Old French -ence, from Latin -entia. Compare Old English -ende, -endu (“-ing, -ence”).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
suffix

Same as -ance; having the state or condition of.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English -ence, from Old French -ence, from Latin -entia. Compare Old English -ende, -endu (“-ing, -ence”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mention-enceenm
  • Derivation mention-encefro
  • Derivation mention-entiala
  • Cognate mention-endeang
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-ence"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -ence"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "-ence"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French -ence"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "-entia"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin -entia"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "-ende"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English -ende"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-ence",
      "-ence#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-ence",
      "-ence#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "-entia",
      "-entia#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "-ende",
      "-ende#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "-endu",
      "-endu#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "Same as -ance; having the state or condition of."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "idiomatic",
        "morpheme",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "ca33d6477f5b8d5b2573d74b90a22e86318a66fc681875616d01c72b005f1ef0",
      "rawRecordSha256": "dc5d050ae56d9fc3f99a917e72bf01b6a67018a7952bb662dd2e74442ece1190",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 489523
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -ence →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LWVuY2U