English word origin

Etymology of -eous

From earlier -uous, alteration of -wose, -wos, a variant of -wise, from Middle English -wise, -wis, -wys, from Old English -wīs (“-wise”), under the influence of Etymology 2. More at -wise.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

suffix

Used with nouns to form adjectives with the sense of resembling or having the characteristics of the suffixed term; similar to -ous.

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

From earlier -uous, alteration of -wose, -wos, a variant of -wise, from Middle English -wise, -wis, -wys, from Old English -wīs (“-wise”), under the influence of Etymology 2. More at -wise.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Cognate mention-wiseenm
Cognate mention-wīsang

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "-wise"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -wise"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "-wīs",
        "3": "",
        "4": "-wise"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English -wīs (“-wise”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-uous",
      "-uous#English"
    ],
    [
      "-wose",
      "-wose#English"
    ],
    [
      "-wos",
      "-wos#English"
    ],
    [
      "-wise",
      "-wise#English"
    ],
    [
      "-wise",
      "-wise#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-wis",
      "-wis#English"
    ],
    [
      "-wys",
      "-wys#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-wīs",
      "-wis#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "-wise",
      "-wise#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "Used with nouns to form adjectives with the sense of resembling or having the characteristics of the suffixed term; similar to -ous."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
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    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

suffix

Used to form adjectives meaning resembling or having characteristics of the related term.

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

Chiefly from -ous with preceding vowel (compare -ious); compare also Latin -eus; but also by concatenation with English -te (an earlier form of -ty).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Cognate mention-eusla
Cognate mention-teen

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "-eus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin -eus"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "-te"
      },
      "expansion": "English -te"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-ous",
      "-ous#English"
    ],
    [
      "-ious",
      "-ious#English"
    ],
    [
      "-eus",
      "-eus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "concatenation",
      "concatenation"
    ],
    [
      "-te",
      "-te#English"
    ],
    [
      "-ty",
      "-ty#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "Used to form adjectives meaning resembling or having characteristics of the related term."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "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 -eous →

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-LWVvdXM