-ilis

See also: ilis

Latin

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *-elis

Proto-Italic *-elis

Latin -ilis

From Proto-Italic *-elis, from Proto-Indo-European *-elis, probably from *-lós. Cognate with Proto-Germanic *-ilaz (“-le”, adjective-forming suffix).

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ɪ.lɪs]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [i.lis] (stressed on the antepenult)

Suffix

-ilis (neuter -ile, comparative -ilior, superlative -illimus or -ilissimus); third-declension two-termination suffix

-ile; forms adjectives of relation, frequently passive, to verbs.
1. -able/-ible; forms passive adjectives meaning "prone to be/able to be" the object or target of the base verb
  Synonym: -bilis
  
  ‎sedeō (“to sit”) + ‎-ilis → ‎sessilis (“able to be seated upon, suited for sitting”)
  
  ‎agō (“to drive; to do, act”) + ‎-ilis → ‎agilis (“that may be moved”)
2. -ing; forms adjectives meaning "acting, prone to acting, having the power to act" in a certain way
  Synonym: -ns
  
  ‎lābor (“to slip, glide”) + ‎-ilis → ‎lābilis (“prone to slipping, slipping”)
  
  ‎volō (“to fly”) + ‎-ilis → ‎volātilis (“flying, capable of flight, winged; swift; fleeting”)
  
  ‎agō (“to drive; to do, act”) + ‎-ilis → ‎agilis (“that may move easily; nimble”)
3. -ed; forms passive adjectives indicating the state resulting from an action or process
  Synonym: -tus
  
  ‎suō (“to sew”) + ‎-ilis → ‎sūtilis (“sewed, bound or fastened together”)
  
  ‎sculpō (“to sculpt”) + ‎-ilis → ‎sculptilis (“made by sculpting, sculpted”)
  
  ‎fodiō (“to dig”) + ‎-ilis → ‎fossilis (“dug up, dug out”)
(rare) used to form an adjective from a noun or adjective stem, sometimes with passive meaning
‎humus (“ground, earth”) + ‎-ilis → ‎humilis (“lowly, humble”)

‎pār, par- (“even, equal”) + ‎-ilis → ‎parilis (“equal, like”)

‎herba (“grass”) + ‎-ilis → ‎herbilis (“fed on grass”)

Usage notes

Either appended to the root or the supine stem of the verb.

‎frangō (fract-) (“to break”) + ‎-ilis → ‎fragilis (“that may easily be broken”)
‎fingō (fict-) (“to shape, mold, craft by hand”) + ‎-ilis → ‎fictilis (“made of clay”)

Forms with passive sense can be derived not only from transitive verbs, such as frangō, but also from intransitive verbs, such as sedeō. Some adjectives built with this suffix have both passive and active senses, such as agilis.

Declension

Third-declension two-termination adjective.

	masc./fem.	neuter	masc./fem.	neuter
	singular		plural
nominative	-ilis	-ile	-ilēs	-ilia
genitive	-ilis		-ilium
dative	-ilī		-ilibus
accusative	-ilem	-ile	-ilīs -ilēs	-ilia
ablative	-ilī		-ilibus
vocative	-ilis	-ile	-ilēs	-ilia

Derived terms

Latin terms suffixed with -ilis

Related terms

Descendants

Aromanian: -ilji
Catalan: -il
English: -ile
French: -ile
Italian: -ile
Portuguese: -il
Romanian: -il, -ie
Sicilian: -ili
Spanish: -il

Etymology 2

Originally from the above -ilis added to i-stems, later used freely.

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈiː.lɪs]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈiː.lis]

Suffix

-īlis (neuter -īle); third-declension two-termination suffix

-ile; used to form adjectives, usually from nouns, indicating a relationship or a pertaining to.
Synonyms: -ānus, -ālis, -icus

‎aedis (“building”) + ‎-ilis → ‎aedīlis (“of buildings”) (attested as substantive)

‎hostis (“enemy”) + ‎-ilis → ‎hostīlis (“of the enemy, unfriendly, hostile”)

‎puer (“boy”) + ‎-ilis → ‎puerīlis (“of boys, boyish, immature”)

‎erus (“master”) + ‎-ilis → ‎erīlis (“of the master”)

Declension

Third-declension two-termination adjective.

	masc./fem.	neuter	masc./fem.	neuter
	singular		plural
nominative	-īlis	-īle	-īlēs	-īlia
genitive	-īlis		-īlium
dative	-īlī		-īlibus
accusative	-īlem	-īle	-īlīs -īlēs	-īlia
ablative	-īlī		-īlibus
vocative	-īlis	-īle	-īlēs	-īlia

Derived terms