-ese
English
Etymology
From Middle English -eys, from Old French -eis, from Latin -ēnsis (in some cases from Late Latin -iscus). Compare Italian -ese.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /iːz/
- (US) IPA(key): /iz/; (nonstandard, rare, possibly archaic) /is/[1]
Suffix
-ese
- Used to form adjectives and nouns describing things and characteristics of a city, region, or country, such as the people and the language spoken by these people.
- Viennese waltz (sausage, etc), Maltese falcon, Chinese, Togolese, Beninese, Congolese, Milanese, Parmese, Japanese, Faroese, Portuguese, Vietnamese
- Used to form nouns meaning the jargon used by a particular profession or in a particular context.
- journal + -ese → journalese
- legal + -ese → legalese
- translation + -ese → translationese
Usage notes
Generally speaking, nouns formed with the suffix -ese have no distinct plural form (two Viennese) and, with the definite article, are plural and refer to an entire group (the Ravennese). They are also generally not used in the singular, as in "I am a Chinese"; instead, phrases like "I am a Chinese person" are used. (In some British dialects, "a Chinese" can be used, but to refer to a Chinese meal, rather than a person.) This is not always the case, particularly for speakers from East Asia who use it to translate demonyms such as 日本人 and 中国人, but such countable uses may have nonstandard meanings.
Derived terms
English terms suffixed with -ese
Adjectives and nouns describing characteristics of a region
- Algherese
- Ambonese
- Andamanese
- Annamese
- Annobonese
- Aragonese
- Assamese
- Auvergnese
- Balinese
- Beninese
- Berlinese
- Bhutanese
- Brooklynese
- Burmese
- Canarese
- Cantonese
- Chinese
- Congolese
- Dublinese
- East Timorese
- Faroese
- Gabonese
- Genoese
- Gilbertese
- Guyanese
- Hainanese
- Hoisanese
- Japanese
- Javanese
- Katangese
- Kinmenese
- Lebanese
- Maltese
- Marshallese
- Milanese
- Nepalese
- Nipponese
- Parmese
- Pekingese
- Piedmontese
- Pitcairnese
- Pittsburghese
- Portuguese
- Reunionese
- Runyonese
- Rwandese
- Senegalese
- Sentinelese
- Shanghainese
- Siamese
- Sikkimese
- Sudanese
- Sundanese
- Surinamese
- Taishanese
- Taiwanese
- Timese
- Togolese
- Toisanese
- Viennese
- Vietnamese
- Xinjiangese
Nouns denoting jargon
- academese
- Americanese
- bureaucratese
- Christianese
- corporatese
- fatherese
- headlinese
- Hollywoodese
- idiotese
- initialese
- journalese
- lawyerese
- legalese
- managementese
- marketese
- medicalese
- mentalese
- motherese
- officialese
- parentese
- patentese
- psychologese
- signalese
- tabloidese
- teacherese
- telegraphese
- textese
- translatese
- translationese
- translatorese
- typoese
- Voynichese
Translations
Note: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, see individual words ending in -ese.
forming adjectives and nouns describing things characteristic of a particular place
|
forming nouns meaning the jargon used by a particular profession
|
See also
- -ess
References
- See e.g.
“Annamese”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary / “Annamese”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present. / “Annamese”, in Collins English Dictionary. / Annamese in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911,
“Chinese”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary / “Chinese”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present. / “Chinese”, in Collins English Dictionary. / Chinese in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911,
“legalese”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary / “legalese”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.,
“Viennese”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary / “Viennese”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present. / “Viennese”, in Collins English Dictionary. / Viennese in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, etc.
Anagrams
- SEE, See, ees, see
German
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈeː.zə]
Audio (file)
Suffix
-ese m (weak, genitive -esen, plural -esen)
- Forms nouns indicating an inhabitant of a place.
Usage notes
The suffix -er is more common.
Declension
Declension of -ese [masculine, weak]
| singular | plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indef. | def. | noun | def. | noun | |
| nominative | ein | der | -ese | die | -esen |
| genitive | eines | des | -esen | der | -esen |
| dative | einem | dem | -esen | den | -esen |
| accusative | einen | den | -esen | die | -esen |
Derived terms
- Albanese
- Burmese
- Chinese
- Japanese
- Milanese
Related terms
- Balinese
- Kongolese
Interlingua
Etymology
Borrowed from English -an, French -ain, Italian -ano, Portuguese -ano/Spanish -ano, all ultimately from Latin -ānus.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈese/, /ˈeze/
Suffix
-ese
- forms nouns and adjectives from nouns, denoting or pertaining to a native, citizen or inhabitant; -ese
- China (“China”) + -ese → chinese (“Chinese”)
- Geneva (“Geneva”) + -ese → genevese (“Genevese”)
- Francia (“France”) + -ese → francese (“French”)
- Synonyms: (noun) -ano, -ana, -ita, (adjective) -an
- forms nouns and adjectives from nouns, denoting or pertaining to a language; -ese
- China (“China”) + -ese → chinese (“Chinese”)
- Brooklyn (“Brooklyn”) + -ese → brooklynese (“Brooklynese, Brooklyn dialect”)
- Synonyms: (noun) -ano, (adjective) -an
Derived terms
Interlingua terms suffixed with -ese
References
- Alexander Gode; Hugh E. Blair (1955) Interlingua: A Grammar of the International Language, →ISBN
Italian
Etymology
Inherited from Latin -ēnsem (“originating in”), whence also Italian -ense.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈe.ze/, (traditional) /ˈe.se/
- Rhymes: -eze, (traditional) -ese
- Hyphenation: -é‧se
Suffix
-ese m
- -ese (both senses); -er
- Libano (“Lebanon”) + -ese → libanese (“Lebanese”)
- Cina (“China”) + -ese → cinese (“Chinese”)
- sinistra (“left”) + -ese → sinistrese (“left-wing political jargon”)
- giornalista (“journalist”) + -ese → giornalistese (“journalese”)
Derived terms
Italian terms suffixed with -ese
Related terms
- -esa