-essa

See also: essa and essä

Catalan

Etymology

From Old Catalan -essa, from Latin -issa, from Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa).

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /ˈ-ə.sə/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /ˈ-ɛ.sə/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈ-e.sa/

Suffix

-essa f

1. -ess (female)

Usage notes

This suffix is non-productive in modern Catalan, with either the usual feminine termination -a being employed, or the noun having a single form for both genders.

Derived terms

• See Category:Catalan words suffixed with -essa

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Italian

Etymology

From Latin -issa, from Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa).

Suffix

-essa

1. -ess

Usage notes

• Mostly used to form the feminine of animate nouns. e.g. barone => baronessa
• Sometimes used ironically or in a disparaging manner. e.g. medico => medichessa