-ety
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Uncertain origin. Perhaps imitative of repeated action.[1]
Suffix
-ety
- Added to monosyllabic words, typically nouns or adjectives, to extend their form. Often seen in fanciful compounds.
- dig + -ety → diggety, hot diggety dog
- lick + -ety → lickety, lickety-split
References
- ^ “-ety, suffix”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, November 2010.