-k

English

Etymology

From Middle English -ken, -kien, from Old English -cian, from Proto-Germanic *-kōną. Cognate with West Frisian -kje, German -chen, Danish -ke, Swedish -ka. Perhaps related to Old English diminutive suffix -uc, -oc. More at -ock.

Suffix

-k

1. (obsolete, no longer productive) A suffix found in words of Middle English, Old English, usually with an intensive or frequentative effect.

   tale, talk; steal, stalk; smile, smirk; mire, mirk; lour, lurk; hear, hark; fare, firk; yare, yark

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Abenaki

Suffix

-k

1. A suffix used to form the plurals of some animate words.

   tmakwa (“beaver”) → tmakwak (“beavers”)

Usage notes

• Used to form the plurals of almost all words that end in a, and of some words that end in other vowels or in the semivowel w; not used to form the plurals of words ending in consonants.
• See the usage notes at -ak.

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Chuukese

Suffix

-k

1. (added to verbs) you (singular, indirect object suffix)

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Estonian

Etymology 1

Cognate with Finnish -kko.

Suffix

-k (genitive -ku, partitive -kut)

1. Derives nouns from verbs, or sometimes from other nominals. The derivations can express the following:
   1. a single instance of an action

      minema (“to go”) → minek (“a going”)

      ründama (“to attack”) → rünnak (“an attack”)

   2. the object of an action

      õppima (“to study”) → õpik (“textbook”)

Declension

Inflection of -k (ÕS type 2/õpik, no gradation)

	singular	plural
nominative	-k	-kud
accusative	-ku	-kud
genitive	-ku	-kute
partitive	-kut	-kuid
illative	-kusse	-kutesse -kuisse
inessive	-kus	-kutes -kuis
elative	-kust	-kutest -kuist
allative	-kule	-kutele -kuile
adessive	-kul	-kutel -kuil
ablative	-kult	-kutelt -kuilt
translative	-kuks	-kuteks -kuiks
terminative	-kuni	-kuteni
essive	-kuna	-kutena
abessive	-kuta	-kuteta
comitative	-kuga	-kutega

Derived terms

► Estonian words suffixed with -k

Etymology 2

Cognate with Finnish -kki.

Suffix

-k (genitive -ki, partitive -kit)

1. Derives nouns from verbs denoting an instrument of action.

   sõitma (“to drive”) → sõiduk (“vehicle”)

   hõljuma (“to hover”) → hõljuk (“hovercraft”)

   tõstma (“to raise”) → tõstuk (“lift”)

Declension

Inflection of -k (ÕS type 2/õpik, no gradation)

	singular	plural
nominative	-k	-kid
accusative	-ki	-kid
genitive	-ki	-kite
partitive	-kit	-keid
illative	-kisse	-kitesse -keisse
inessive	-kis	-kites -keis
elative	-kist	-kitest -keist
allative	-kile	-kitele -keile
adessive	-kil	-kitel -keil
ablative	-kilt	-kitelt -keilt
translative	-kiks	-kiteks -keiks
terminative	-kini	-kiteni
essive	-kina	-kitena
abessive	-kita	-kiteta
comitative	-kiga	-kitega

Derived terms

► Estonian words suffixed with -k

Etymology 3

May be the same as etymology 2.

Suffix

-k (genitive -gi, partitive -ki)

1. Derives nouns from verbs, or sometimes from other nominals. The derivations can express the following:
   1. the result of an action

      jääma (“to remain”) → jääk (“residue, remainder”)

      saama (“to receive”) → saak (“yield”)

   2. the object of an action

      sööma (“to eat”) → söök (“food”)

      jooma (“to drink”) → jook (“drink, beverage”)

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Hungarian

Suffix

-k

1. (plural suffix) -s, -es

   hajó (“ship”) → hajók (“ships”)

   alma (“apple”) → almák (“apples”)

   mese (“fairy tale”) → mesék (“fairy tales”)

2. (personal suffix) Denotes the first-person singular present tense in verb suffixes for all moods (indicative, conditional and subjunctive).

   ír (“to write”) →

   írok (“I write, I am writing”)

   írnék (“I would write”)

   írjak (“I should write”)

3. (obsolete) Diminutive suffix.

   lélek (“soul”)

   fészek (“nest”)

Usage notes

• (plural suffix) Harmonic variants:

  -k is added to words ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-. Final -e changes to -é-.

  nő (“woman”) →‎ nők (“women”)

  fa (“tree”) →‎ fák (“trees”)

  csésze (“cup”) →‎ csészék (“cups”)

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

  ház (“house”) →‎ házak (“houses”)

  -ok is added to most back-vowel words ending in a consonant:

  pad (“bench”) →‎ padok (“benches”)

  -ek is added to unrounded front-vowel words (and some rounded front-vowel words) ending in a consonant:

  kert (“garden”) →‎ kertek (“gardens”)

  könyv (“book”) →‎ könyvek (“books”)

  -ök is added to most rounded front-vowel words ending in a consonant:

  kör (“circle”) →‎ körök (“circles”)

• Note that the plural form is not used after definite and indefinite numerals in Hungarian (e.g. három könyv – three books, néhány óra múlva – in a few hours), only if there is no numeral before the phrase. There are very few (traditional, archaic) exceptions, including háromkirályok, mindenszentek, összes művei/versei/költeményei/elbeszélései (compare plural -i after a possessive suffix), as well as minden oroszok cárja and minden világok legjobbika; the present-day forms would have orosz and világ.
• The regular plural suffix for adjectives is -ak (e.g. okosak (“smart/clever ones”)), while about a dozen adjectives take -ok, especially those ending in -k/-g (vakok (“blind ones”), gazdagok (“rich ones”), vastagok (“thick ones”), boldogok (“happy ones”), hanyagok (“negligent ones”), hazugok (“lying ones”), álnokok (“treacherous ones”), undokok (“nasty ones”)), some other adjectives with different endings (szabadok (“free ones”), bolondok (“foolish ones”), nagyok (“big ones”), fiatalok (“young ones”), aljasok (“base ones”), mások (“different ones”), kopaszok (“bald ones”)), as well as nationality names (see the back-vowel terms in their category) and adjectives formed with -talan, -atlan, and -tlan. On the other hand, rounded front-vowel adjectives normally take -ek (e.g. zöldek (“green ones”)), except for nationality names (see the rounded front-vowel terms in their category).
• If a word can be both a noun and an adjective, the form of its ending gives information about its function, e.g. komikusok “comedians” (a noun), komikusak “comical ones” (an adjective as part of the predicate). The same distinction also exists with words with rounded front vowels, e.g. ismerős, where ismerősök is used as a noun (“acquaintances”) while ismerősek means “familiar ones” (as part of the predicate).

See also

• Category:Hungarian noun forms
• Appendix:Hungarian suffixes

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Lower Sorbian

Suffix

-k

1. used on masculine nouns to form a diminutive

Derived terms

► Lower Sorbian words suffixed with -k

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Maltese

Alternative forms

• -ek, -ok

Etymology

From both Arabic ـَكَ‎ (-aka) and ـِكِ‎ (-iki).

Suffix

-k m or f

1. you (object suffix, second person singular)

Related terms

• int

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Old Norse

Alternative forms

• ek

Pronoun

-k (enclitic)

1. enclitic form of ek

   ‎hafða + ‎-k → ‎hafðak

   ‎em + ‎-k → ‎emk

See also

• -du, -ðu, -tu

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Veps

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Particle

-k

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References

• Zajceva, N. G.; Mullonen, M. I. (2007), “а, ли”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary], Petrozavodsk: Periodika