-ība
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Latvian[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Proto-Balto-Slavic *-ība, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *bʰh₂-o-, from a stem *bʰeh₂- (“to shine”), first applied to i-stems, from which it incorporated the stem-final i, and then spread to other stem classes. Cognates include Lithuanian -yba (cf. tikýba (“belief, faith”)), Lithuanian -ybė, Proto-Slavic *-ьba.[1]
Suffix[edit]
-ība
- Added to adjectives (sometimes to nouns) to form abstract nouns, especially those referring to the state or property that corresponds to the original adjective (like, e.g., Eng. -ity).