-aio
See also: aio, AIO, and aîó
Italian
Alternative forms
- -aro (dialectal)
Etymology
From Latin -ārium. Compare the borrowed doublet -ario, as well as -iere, borrowed from (Old) French.Example: Italian operaio, from Latin operārius.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈa.jo/
- Rhymes: -ajo
- Hyphenation: -à‧io
Suffix
-aio m (noun-forming suffix, plural -ai, feminine -aia)
- added to nouns to form agent nouns
- forno (“oven”) + -aio → fornaio (“baker”)
- pecora (“sheep”) + -aio → pecoraio (“shepherd”)
- macello (“slaughterhouse”) + -aio → macellaio (“butcher”)
- added to nouns to form nouns of mass or collection
- formica (“ant”) + -aio → formicaio (“anthill”)
- ghiaccio (“ice”) + -aio → ghiacciaio (“iceberg”)
- letame (“dung”) + -aio → letamaio (“dunghill”)
Derived terms
Italian terms suffixed with -aio
See also
- -ario