-ιά

See also: -ια, -ία, ἰά, ἴα, and Appendix:Variations of "ia"

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek -έα (-éa) and -αία (-aía), both from -ία (-ía).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʝa/ (after β, δ, ζ, ρ)
• IPA^(key): /ˈça/ (after θ, π, σ, τ, φ)
• IPA^(key): /ˈɲa/ (after μ, ν)
• IPA^(key): /ˈʎa/ (after λ)

Suffix

-ιά • (-iá) f

1. added to a fruit/plant noun, to create words for trees/plants that produce it:

   ‎μήλο (mílo, “apple”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎μηλιά (miliá, “apple tree”)

   ‎κεράσι (kerási, “cherry”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎κερασιά (kerasiá, “cherry tree”)

   ‎βελανίδι (velanídi, “acorn”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎βελανιδιά (velanidiá, “oak tree”)

2. added to another noun to denote a blot or stain:

   ‎δάχτυλο (dáchtylo, “finger”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎δαχτυλιά (dachtyliá, “finger mark”)

   ‎λάδι (ládi, “oil”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎λαδιά (ladiá, “oil mark”)

3. added to another noun to denote an injury or a hit:

   ‎μαχαίρι (machaíri, “knife”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎μαχαιριά (machairiá, “stabbing”)

   ‎χάραγμα (cháragma, “mark”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎χαρακιά (charakiá, “cut/nick”)

4. added to another noun to denote a measure or amount:

   ‎πιρούνι (piroúni, “fork”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎πιρουνιά (pirouniá, “forkful”)

   ‎κουτάλι (koutáli, “spoon”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎κουταλιά (koutaliá, “spoonful”)

   ‎χέρι (chéri, “hand”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎χεριά (cheriá, “handful”)

5. added to a place name to denote a (female) person from there:

   ‎Κρήτη (Kríti, “Crete”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎Κρητικιά (Kritikiá, “Female Cretan”)

   ‎Πάτρα (Pátra, “Patra”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎Πατρινιά (Patriniá, “Female from Patra”)

6. added to a noun, adjective or verb to form a further noun:

   ‎άνθρωπος (ánthropos, “human”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎ανθρωπιά (anthropiá, “humanity”)

   ‎βρίζω (vrízo, “to curse”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎βρισιά (vrisiá, “insult”)

   ‎ανήμπορος (anímporos, “helpless”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎ανημποριά (animporiá, “indisposition”)

7. added to a noun or adjective to form a sum of these:

   ‎εργάτης (ergátis, “worker”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎εργατιά (ergatiá, “working class”)

   ‎Τούρκος (Toúrkos, “Turk”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎Τουρκιά (Tourkiá, “the Turks/crowd of Turks”)

8. added to a noun to denote a state or condition:

   ‎σύννεφο (sýnnefo, “cloud”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎συννεφιά (synnefiá, “cloudy sky”)

   ‎έρημος (érimos, “desert”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎ερημιά (erimiá, “wilderness”)

9. added to a noun(s) to denote a certain place or location:

   ‎ποτάμι (potámi, “river”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎ποταμιά (potamiá, “area around river”)

   ‎λαγκάδι (lagkádi, “dale”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎λαγκαδιά (lagkadiá, “ravine”)

10. added to a noun(s) to denote a certain time period:

    πρώτος (prótos, “first”) + ‎χρόνος (chrónos, “year”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎Πρωτοχρονιά (Protochroniá, “New Year's Day”)

    αρχή (archí, “beginning”) + ‎μήνας (mínas, “month”) + ‎-ιά (-iá) → ‎αρχιμηνιά (archiminiá, “first day of month/calends”)

Declension

declension of -ιά

case     \     number	singular	plural
nominative	-ιά •	-ιές •
genitive	-ιάς •	-ιών •
accusative	-ιά •	-ιές •
vocative	-ιά •	-ιές •

Related terms

• -ία f (-ía)