-al

See also: Appendix:Variations of "al"

English

Etymology 1

From the Latin adjective suffix -ālis, or French, Middle French and Old French -el, -al. Likely, the aforementioned Latin suffix is formed from Etruscan genitive suffix -l (as in Etruscan ati (“mother”) / atial (“mother's”)) + adjectival suffix -is (as in fortis, dēbilis, etc.).

Alternative forms

• -all (obsolete)
• -ual

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əl/

Suffix

-al

1. Of or pertaining to. Adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to make an adjective form. Often added to words of Latin origin, but used with other words also.

   base + ‎-al → ‎basal

   cranium + ‎-al → ‎cranial

2. Forming nouns, especially of verbal action.

   propose + ‎-al → ‎proposal

   deny + ‎-al → ‎denial

Usage notes

If the root word contains l, the variant -ar is often used instead (e.g. solar, lunar, columnar, lumbar). Sometimes both forms are found: linear, lineal. One also sees -ial, as in manorial.

As nominalizer, some verbs have two corresponding nouns, one ending in -al and the other in -tion/-sion (more common suffix), with one or the other being more common, sometimes with different nuances. Notable examples: disposition/disposal (dispose), proposition/proposal (propose), submission/submittal (submit), transmission/transmittal (transmit). Some superficial pairs are actually of different origin, notably reversion/reversal (revert/reverse, not both from reverse).

Derived terms

• (of or pertaining to): Category:English words suffixed with -al
• (forming nouns, especially of verbal action.): arousal, arrival, bestowal, betrothal, burial, denial, disposal, proposal, rival, reversal, removal, submittal, transmittal
• -ical

See also

• -ing
• -tion (-ion, -sion)
• -ure

Etymology 2

Extracted from the word aldehyde.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æl/

Suffix

-al

1. (organic chemistry) Forms the names of aldehydes.

Translations

aldehyde

• Danish: -al
• Dutch: -al (nl)

• Galician: -al (gl)

Anagrams

• L. A., L.A., LA, La, La-, La., la, lä

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Abenaki

Suffix

-al

1. A suffix used to form the plurals of inanimate words.

   pessimen (“currant”) → pessimenal (“currants”)

   wôbigen (“it is white”) → wôbigenal (“they are white”)

Usage notes

• -al is the most common suffix used to form the plurals of inanimate words, including most body parts and some words ending in the vowel a.
• See the usage notes at -ak.

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Catalan

Etymology

From Latin -ālis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central, Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈ-al/

Suffix

-al (feminine -ala, masculine plural -als, feminine plural -ales)

1. In adjectives, indicating relation.

   estructura (“structure”) → estructural (“structural”).

Derived terms

► Catalan words suffixed with -al

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Danish

Suffix

-al

1. (organic chemistry) -al

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑl/

Suffix

-al

1. (organic chemistry) -al

Synonyms

• oxo-

Derived terms

► Dutch words suffixed with -al

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Esperanto

Suffix

-al

1. for [...] reason (ending for correlatives of reason)

Derived terms

Terms derived from -al

• alial (“for another reason”)
• ĉial (“for every reason”)

• ial (“for any/some reason”)
• kial (“for what reason, why”)

• nenial (“for no reason”)
• tial (“for that reason, therefore”)

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French

Etymology

From Middle French, from Old French -al, borrowed from Latin -ālis. Cognate to French -el, which is also from Latin -ālis but inherited (not borrowed).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/

Suffix

-al

1. -al (of or pertaining to; adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to make an adjective form. Often added to words of Latin origin, but used with other words also)

Derived terms

► French words suffixed with -al

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German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin -ālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [aːl]

Suffix

-al

1. pertaining to, using; adjectival suffix appended to nouns

Derived terms

► German words suffixed with -al

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Hungarian

Etymology

-a- +‎ -l

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɒl]

Suffix

-al

1. (verb-forming suffix) Added to a noun to form a verb.

   szárny (“a wing”) → szárnyal (“to soar”)

2. (noun-forming suffix) Added to a verb to form a noun (no longer productive in this role).

   von (“to pull”) → vonal (“line”)

Usage notes

• (verb-forming suffix) Harmonic variants:

  -l is added to words ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-. Final -e changes to -é-. Final long vowels may shorten, e.g. ű → ü.

  -ol is added to some back vowel words ending in a consonant

  -al is added to other back vowel words ending in a consonant

  -el is added to unrounded front vowel words ending in a consonant

  -öl is added to rounded front vowel words ending in a consonant

  -ál is added to some back vowel words ending in a consonant

• (noun-forming suffix) Harmonic variants:

  -al is added to back vowel words

  -el is added to front vowel words

Derived terms

► Hungarian verbs suffixed with -al

► Hungarian nouns suffixed with -al

See also

• Appendix:Hungarian suffixes

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Lepontic

Suffix

-al • (-al)

1. Romanization of -𐌀𐌋

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Manx

Alternative forms

• -ail

Etymology 1

Extracted from goaill.

-al f

1. suffix used to form verbal nouns

Etymology 2

Extracted from goaill.

-al

1. suffix used productively to form denominative verbs and their associated verbal nouns

   yiarn (“iron”) + ‎-al → ‎yiarnal (“to iron”)

   post (“post”) + ‎-al → ‎postal (“to post”)

Etymology 3

From Middle Irish -amail (compare Irish -úil, Scottish Gaelic -ail, -eil), from Old Irish -amail.

-al

1. An adjectival suffix applied to various words, usually nouns, to make an adjective.

See also

• -ee

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Norman

Etymology

From Old French -al, from Latin -ālis.

Suffix

-al

1. -al (of or pertaining to; adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to make an adjective form)

Derived terms

► Norman words suffixed with -al

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Novial

Suffix

-al

1. Short form of -ali.

Usage notes

• Remove the last vowel (except 'u') of the given noun before appending this suffix to it.

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Old French

Alternative forms

• -el

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin -ālis. Compare the inherited -el.

Suffix

-al

1. suffix used to form adjectives from nouns

   mesnal ― domestic; household

   (from mesnee)

Descendants

• Middle French: -al
  • French: -al

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Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈaɫ/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈaw/

Etymology 1

From Old Portuguese -al, from Latin -ālis.

Suffix

-al (plural -ais)

1. appended to noun X, forms adjectives meaning “of or pertaining to X”

   abismo (“abyss”) + ‎-al → ‎abismal (“abyssal; abysmal”)

   indústria (“factory; industry”) + ‎-al → ‎industrial (“industrial”)

2. forms synonyms of adjectives containing the suffix -ico

   angélico (“angelic”) + ‎-al → ‎angelical (“angelical”)

3. appended to noun X, forms nouns meaning “a collection X” or “a large quantity of X”

   ninho (“nest”) + ‎-al → ‎ninhal (“a bunch of nests”)

   edito (“edict”) + ‎-al → ‎edital (“notice board”)

4. appended to noun X, forms nouns meaning “a place where there is plenty of X”

   pedra (“rock”) + ‎-al → ‎pedregal (“a rocky field”)

   colmeia (“beehive”) + ‎-al → ‎colmeal (“a place with many beehives”)

5. appended to the name of a plant, forms nouns meaning “a field where that plant is cultivated”

   trigo (“wheat”) + ‎-al → ‎trigal (“wheatfield”)

   sobreiro (“cork oak”) + ‎-al → ‎sobreiral (“an orchard of cork oaks”)

Synonyms

• (of or pertaining to): -ar, -ário, -eal, -eiro, -ial, -ico, -inal
• (collection): -ário
• (place with plenty of something): -açal, -egal, -eiro

Etymology 2

From the first syllable of álcool (“alcohol”) and aldeído (“aldehyde”).

Suffix

-al m

1. (chemistry) forms the names of alcohols
2. (chemistry) forms the names of aldehydes

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Spanish

Etymology

From Latin -ālis.

Suffix

-al (plural -ales)

1. In adjectives, indicating relation

   cultura (“culture”) + ‎-al → ‎cultural (“cultural”).

2. In nouns, indicating a place where something is grown

   maíz (“corn”) + ‎-al → ‎maizal (“corn field”)

   naranja (“orange”) + ‎-al → ‎naranjal (“orange grove”)

Synonyms

• (indicating a place): -ar

Derived terms

► Spanish words suffixed with -al

Further reading

• “-al” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

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Swedish

Suffix

-al

1. -al, of or pertaining to; forming an adjective from a noun

Derived terms

► Swedish words suffixed with -al

See also

• -ell
• -ig
• -isk
• -lig
• -sam