-essa
See also: essa and essä
Catalan
Etymology
From Old Catalan -essa, from Latin -issa, from Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa).
Pronunciation
- (Balearic) IPA(key): /ˈ-ə.sə/
- (Central) IPA(key): /ˈ-ɛ.sə/
- (Valencian) IPA(key): /ˈ-e.sa/
Suffix
-essa f
- -ess (female)
Usage notes
This suffix is non-productive in modern Catalan, with either the usual feminine termination -a being employed, or the noun having a single form for both genders.
Derived terms
- See Category:Catalan words suffixed with -essa
Interlingua
Suffix
-essa
- -ess (female)
- Synonym: -a (replaces a final -o in the stem noun)
Italian
Etymology
From Latin -issa, from Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa).
Suffix
-essa
- -ess
Usage notes
- Mostly used to form the feminine of animate nouns. e.g. barone => baronessa
- Sometimes used ironically or in a disparaging manner. e.g. medico => medichessa