*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -ual

Etymology tree Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisder. Latin -uālisder. English -ual Back-formation from Latin adjectives ending in -uālis, which are formed from fourth-declension nouns suffixed with -ālis. By surface analys

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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

Alternative form of -al.

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

Etymology tree Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisder. Latin -uālisder. English -ual Back-formation from Latin adjectives ending in -uālis, which are formed from fourth-declension nouns suffixed with -ālis. By surface analysis, -u- + -al.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "la:-uālis<ety:der<la:-ālis>>",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Italic *-ālis\nLatin -ālisder.\nLatin -uālisder.\nEnglish -ual\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*-ālis\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-ālis\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-uālis\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ual\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-ual\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "backformation",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Back-formation"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin"
    },
    {
      "name": "surf",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "-u-",
        "3": "-al"
      },
      "expansion": "By surface analysis, -u- + -al"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "la:-uālis<ety:der<la:-ālis>>",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂el-\nProto-Indo-European *-is\nProto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?\nProto-Italic *-ālis\nLatin -ālisder.\nLatin -uālisder.\nEnglish -ual"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*-ālis",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/-ālis"
    ],
    [
      "-ālis",
      "-alis#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "-uālis",
      "-ualis#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "-ālis",
      "-alis#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "-u-",
      "-u-#English"
    ],
    [
      "-al",
      "-al#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of -al."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "e77beaaf0317ccdebc89ef437ebe7bbc3e47658d2636ac9143506b916d4434d2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "634551e9a5d5bb3be44677c56d37a6b33d4155377da1d15d12c82a42433e11c7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2641708
    }
  ],
  "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 -ual →

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-LXVhbA