-ee

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ee"

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English -ee, -ē, from Anglo-Norman and Old French -ee, French -é, -ée, endings forming past participle of verbs ending in -er. Doublet of -ate. More distantly related to inherited English -ed.

Suffix

-ee

Added to transitive verbs to form words meaning a person or thing that is the object of that verb (i.e., to whom or to which an action is done).
Synonym: -ed

Antonym: -er

‎examine + ‎-ee → ‎examinee

‎interview + ‎-ee → ‎interviewee

‎train + ‎-ee → ‎trainee

‎employ + ‎-ee → ‎employee
Less commonly added to intransitive verbs to form words meaning a person or thing that is the subject of that verb (that is, who or that does an action).
‎absent + ‎-ee → ‎absentee

‎respond + ‎-ee → ‎respondee

‎stand + ‎-ee → ‎standee

‎post + ‎-ee → ‎postee
(law) Used to form words meaning a person who is the other party to a contract or other transaction involving a person described by the corresponding word ending in -or.
Antonym: -or

‎assign + ‎-ee → ‎assignee

‎legate + ‎-ee → ‎legatee

‎mortgage + ‎-ee → ‎mortgagee
(medicine) Used to form words meaning a person who has undergone a particular medical procedure.
‎laryngectomy + ‎-ee → ‎laryngectomee
Irregularly added to nouns to mean a person somehow associated with the object denoted by the noun.
‎barge + ‎-ee → ‎bargee

‎tender + ‎-ee → ‎tenderee

‎venereal + ‎-ee → ‎venerealee

Derived terms

English terms suffixed with -ee

Translations

The translation tables below are a guide only. See individual words formed using this suffix for more precise translations.

forming words meaning a person to whom or a thing to which an action is done

Albanian: -të, -atë
Esperanto: -ato (eo)
Finnish: -tu
French: -é (fr) m, -ée (fr) f
German: ge- (de) (prefix) + -er (de) m, -e (de) f, -es (de) n, -en (de) pl (strong), -e (de) (weak)
Ido: -ato, -ario
Italian: -ato (it) m, -ata f
Japanese: 被 (ja) (hi-) (prefix)
Spanish: -ado (es) m, -ada (es) f
Welsh: -ai

forming words meaning a person who or a thing that does an action, especially where a passive sense of the verb is implied

French: -eur (fr) m, -euse (fr) f
Italian: -tore m, -trice f

law: forming words meaning a person who is the other party to a contract

medicine: forming words meaning a person who has undergone a particular medical procedure

irregularly added to nouns to mean a person somehow associated with the object denoted by the noun

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Slovak: ^{(please verify)} -ec

Etymology 2

Perhaps a variation on -ie and -y^[1]

Suffix

-ee

Used to form diminutives.
‎boot + ‎-ee → ‎bootee

‎goat + ‎-ee → ‎goatee

‎settle + ‎-ee → ‎settee

Synonyms

(diminutive affix): mini-, micro-, nano-, -ette, -y, -icle/-cule/-ule/-ole

Antonyms

(antonym(s) of “diminutive affix”): super-, supra-, hyper-, ultra-, uber-, macro-, arch-, over-, mega-, giga-, -zilla, grand, great

Derived terms

Translations

The translation table below is a guide only. See individual words formed using this prefix for more precise translations.

used to form diminutives

Hungarian: -cska (hu)/-cske (hu)
Italian: -etto, -ino (it)

Etymology 3

Suffix

-ee

(offensive, derogatory) Used in mimicking English as stereotypically spoken by the Chinese.
- 1897, The Outlook, volume 56, page 1044:
  "No stealee. You no thinkee? Chinaman no thinkee stealee!" he said, earnestly.
- 1938, Minnesota Journal of Education, volume 19, page 52:
  A Chinaman had a toothache, and phoned a dentist for an appointment. Doctor: "Two-thirty all right?" Chinaman: "Yes, tooth hurtee, all light. What time I come?"

Related terms

no tickee, no washee

References

^ T.F. Hoad, Concise Dictionary of English Etymology, →ISBN; headword -ee

Finnish

Etymology

See -ea. With vowel assimilation.

Suffix

-ee (colloquial or dialectal)

Alternative form of -ea

Usage notes

Predominant type in the Tavastian and Savonian dialects. Well preserved even in urban speech.
Used in the same way as the standard -ea: e.g. korkee "high", standard korkea.
Especially in the Savonian dialects, shorter words with the suffix are subject to consonant gemination: pimeä > pimmee.

Latin

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /e.e/, [eɛ]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /e.e/, [eː]

Suffix

-ee

vocative masculine singular of -eus

Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish -igidir (whence also Irish -igh and Scottish Gaelic -ich), originally a denominative verb formative, from Proto-Celtic *-sagyetor; compare Welsh -hau.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /i/

Suffix

-ee

Suffix used to form verbs from nouns.

Usage notes

Affixed verbs ending in -ee form a sizeable number of verbs. Some monosyllabic verbs in Manx (which historically are not from affixes), however, are not a result of affixation, such as niee "to wash".

Derived terms

Manx terms suffixed with -ee

Navajo

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /-èː/

Suffix

-ee

adverbializing enclitic
hashkéhee ― in a mean or angry way

tąądee ― slowly, leisurely, gradually, little by little

tʼáá ádíláahee ― in an annoying manner

tʼáá łaʼ bizhiʼee ― united, all standing together

tʼáá naʼńleʼee ― sloppily, carelessly, roughly

tʼáadoo yistiʼee ― freely, boldly, without hesitation

tʼáá nanitʼinee ― secretly, covertly

tsʼísee kehgo ― physically, carnally

Derived terms

Navajo terms suffixed with -ee

haneetehee

hashkéhee

tąądee

Spanish

Suffix

-ee

inflection of -ear:
1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
2. third-person singular imperative

[1] T.F. Hoad, Concise Dictionary of English Etymology, →ISBN; headword -ee

[1]