• enPR:-ē,IPA^(key): /-i/

• Audio(Southern England):

  (file)

• -e,-ey,-ie
• -i-(when followed by another suffix)

FromMiddle English-y,-i, fromOld English-iġ(“-y, -ic”,suffix), fromProto-West Germanic*-g, fromProto-Germanic*-īgaz(“-y, -ic”), fromProto-Indo-European*-kos,*-ikos,*-iḱos(“-y, -ic”).

Cognate withScots-ie(“-y”),West Frisian-ich(“-y”),Dutch-ig(“-y”),Low German-ig(“-y”),German-ig(“-y”),Swedish-ig(“-y”),Gothic-𐌹𐌲𐍃(-igs,“-y”),Latin-icus(“-y, -ic”),Ancient Greek-ικός(-ikós),Sanskrit-इक(-ika).Doublet of-ac and-ic.

-y

2. Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives meaning “having the quality of”, either “involving the referent” or “analogous to it”.

   ‎mess + ‎-y → ‎messy

   ‎mouse + ‎-y → ‎mousy

   ‎blue + ‎-y → ‎bluey

   ‎clay + ‎-y → ‎clayey

   ‎tree + ‎-y → ‎treey

   ‎hole + ‎-y → ‎holey

   ‎sponge + ‎-y → ‎spongy

   ‎cake + ‎-y → ‎caky

   ‎dice + ‎-y → ‎dicey

   ‎guts + ‎-y → ‎gutsy

   • 2003,Cory Doctorow,Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom‎^[1], Macmillan,→ISBN:

     Tim keeps trying to make it all more impressionistic, less computer-y.

3. Added to verbs to form adjectives meaning "inclined to".

   ‎run + ‎-y → ‎runny

   ‎panic + ‎-y → ‎panicky

   ‎twiddle + ‎-y → ‎twiddly

• This suffix is extremely productive and can be added to almost any word. When the resulting word is not quite an established or formal word yet (but rather anonce word or acasualism), a hyphen is often used before the suffix (sandcastle →sandcastle-y,tomato-y, etc.); this is sometimes also used when an established term is used very literally, as a form of clarification (health →health-y(“relating to health”), distinct fromhealthy(“in a state of wellness”)).
• The final consonant is doubled just like any other vowel suffix. For example,if →iffy.
• For nouns and adjectives ending in Y,-ey is added. For example,clay →clayey. But especially for less common or nonce words, some write-y instead:clay-y.
• Nouns and adjectives ending in a silent E often drop it. For example,ease →easy.
• A few long-established words ending with this suffix have distinctive spellings, such aswintry andfiery, which English learners might misspell as*wintery and*firey (the latter misspelling being common even among native speakers).

• (form “having quality of” adjectives, denoting “involving the referent”):-al,-an,-ial,-ian,-ly,-ous
• (form “having quality of” adjectives, denoting “analogous to the referent”):-esque,-ish,-like,-ly,-oid

• (antonym(s) of“form “having quality of” adjectives”):-less

Note: translations of English words ending in-y do not necessarily end in the suffixes listed below.

Cognate withScots-ie, being inherited directly from the same sourceMiddle English-ie,-i, fromOld English-iġ(“-ie, -y”,diminutive suffix), possibly fromProto-West Germanic*-ij-,*-j-(diminutive suffix).

Not related withDutch-je,-ie, regionalLow German-je, which are from Proto-West Germanic*-ikīn (English-kin as inlambkin), nor withGerman-i, which is from Proto-West Germanic*-īn (English-en as inmaiden). The vowel/i/ has anonomatopoeic quality to it, which may reinforce its occurrence in diminutives.

• -ie,-ey,-ee

-y

2. Formingdiminutive nouns.

   Synonyms:(suffixes)-cule,-ee,-el,-et,-ette,-icle,-ie,-kin,-le,-let,-ling,-ole,-ule,(prefixes)mini-,micro-,nano-

   ‎gran(nam) + ‎-y → ‎granny

   ‎pin(afore) + ‎-y → ‎pinny

   ‎(s)tom(ach) + ‎-y → ‎tummy

4. Forming familiar names, pet names, nicknames and terms of endearment.

   ‎And(rew) + ‎-y → ‎Andy

   ‎Bill + ‎-y → ‎Billy

   ‎John + ‎-y → ‎Johnny

   ‎Jones + ‎-y → ‎Jonesy

   ‎love + ‎-y → ‎lovey

6. Added formetrical reasons to songs, often in children's music where it may carry diminutive associations.
8. (occasionally derogatory)Forming colloquial nouns signifying the person or thing associated with suffixed noun or verb.

   ‎fridge + ‎-y → ‎fridgy(“fridge magnet”)

   ‎junk + ‎-y → ‎junky

   ‎town + ‎-y → ‎towny

10. Forming nouns relative to an adjective.

    ‎bald + ‎-y → ‎baldy

    ‎dum(b) + ‎-y → ‎dummy

    ‎right + ‎-y → ‎righty

12. Forming colloquial interjections or phrases.

    ‎alright + ‎-y → ‎alrighty

    ‎oops + ‎-y → ‎oopsy

    ‎right + ‎-y → ‎righty

    ‎wake + ‎-y → ‎wakey

• (diminutive):mini-,micro-,nano-,-ette,-ee,-icle/-cule/-ule/-ole

Note: translations of English words ending in-y do not necessarily end in the suffixes listed below.

FromMiddle English-y,-ie,-ee,-e, fromAnglo-Norman andMiddle French-ie and-é, fromLatin-ia,-ium,-tās,Ancient Greek-ίᾱ(-íā),-ειᾰ(-eiă),-ιον(-ion).Cognate (as far asLatin-ia is involved) withGerman-ei andDutch-ij.

-y

2. Formingabstract nouns denoting acondition,quality, orstate.

   ‎modest + ‎-y → ‎modesty

   ‎honest + ‎-y → ‎honesty

   ‎-nym + ‎-y → ‎-nymy

   as in‎toponym + ‎-y → ‎toponymy

   ‎-logue + ‎-y → ‎-logy

   as in‎analogue + ‎-y → ‎analogy

4. Used in the name of some locations which end in-ia in Latin.

   Italy,Germany,Saxony,Hungary,Sicily,Lombardy,Tuscany,Albany,Brittany,Gascony,Burgundy,Picardy,Normandy,Romandy,Savoy,Muscovy,Tartary,Arcady,Thessaly,Troy,Turkey.

Note: translations of English words ending in-y do not necessarily end in the suffixes listed below.

Inherited fromMiddle English-y,-ie, for earlier-ien, from theOld Englishweak class 2 infinitival suffix-ian,-iġan, by syncope from earlier*-ōjan,North Sea Germanic form ofProto-West Germanic*-ōn, fromProto-Germanic*-ōną; reinforced by the suffix-ian,-ġan inOld English verbs ofweak class 1 with roots ending in-r (and the exceptionalstrong class 6 verbswerian). Compare-en(infinitive ending).

• -ee

-y

1. (West Country, obsolete)Denotes theinfinitive of verbs when usedintransitively.
   • June 1746, “An Exmoor Scolding”, inThe Gentleman's Magazine, volume16,London:Edward Cave,page354:

     But thee, thee wut ruckee, and ſquattee, and doatee in the chimly coander lick an axwaddle; and wi’ the zame tha wut rakee up, and gookee, and tell doil, tell dildrams and buckingham jenkins.

   • 1886, Frederic Thomas Elworthy, “Gig, Gig-mill”, inThe West Somerset Word-Book, volume 1,London:Trübner & Co.,page284:

     Where's your Tom now? Au! he do worky down to factory— he've a-workèd to thegig's two year

   • 2008 March 18 [c.1955], Suzanne Wagner, “English dialects in the Southwest: morphology and syntax”, in Bernd Kortmann, Clive Upton, editors,Varieties of English, volume 1: The British Isles,Berlin:Mouton de Gruyter,→DOI,→ISBN, page432:

     d. wiː də ˈbɽɪŋ æʊɽ ˈʃiːp ɪn l̴ami / ‘We bring our sheep in (to) lamb.’ (36 Co 6, book I)

• This suffix can be added to any verb regardless of its class in Old or Middle English.

• IPA^(key): /-j/ [-j]

-y(clitic)

1. Used to form an interrogative copulative sentence:is it?

   Qafár af macáy? ―Whatis the Afar language?

• IPA^(key): /-j/ [-j]

-y(clitic)

1. Used to join together noun phrases:and,also
   • Saytun Qhuraan kee kay maqnah tarjamaty Qafar afal tani [The clear Qur'an and its explanation translated into the Afar language]‎^[2], Suurat Al-Faatica, verse 1:

     Fulte Racmattaay, Gunê Racmattale Yallih Migaaqal Qimbisa.

     I begin in the name of God, who gives mercyand surpasses mercy.

• When following a short vowel,-y lengthens that vowel:

  ‎gaalá(“camel”) + ‎-y → ‎gaaláay(“and the camels”)

• E. M. Parker; R. J. Hayward (1985),An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London,→ISBN, page282; 292
• Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015),L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie)‎^[3], Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis), page447

• -ye(Western)
• -ḷḷe(Patsuezu)

• IPA^(key): /i/

-y

1. (third-person singular indirect pronoun),dative ofelli,ella, andello: (to)him/her/it

   Da-y pan

   Givehim bread

It is always spelled with the hyphen, unlike other pronouns in the language.

• -yos,-ys (third-person plural indirect pronoun)

-y (adverb-forming suffix)

1. -ly:from adjectives forms adverbs

   ‎logický + ‎-y → ‎logicky

• -y inSlovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017

• (modern Egyptological)IPA^(key): /iː/
  • Conventional anglicization:-y

1. (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian)Forms thepluralimperative of verbs, particularlyweak verbs.
2. (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian)Optionally used to form thesubjunctive ofweak verbs.

The plural imperative can also appear without this suffix, in a form identical to the singular imperative.

1. Forms agent nouns from verbs.

1. (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian)Optionally marks the masculine imperfective active participle, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of-y  

-j

1. (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian)Optionally marks the masculine singular perfective passive participle of strong verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of-y  

-w	-w

1. (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian)Optionally marks the perfective passive participle of weak verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
2. (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian)Optionally marks the perfective relative form of weak verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
3. (Late Egyptian)Marks the perfective passive participle of mostly third-weak transitive verbs, following the stem.
4. (Late Egyptian)Occasionally marks the perfective active participle of mostly third-weak transitive verbs, following the stem.

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of-y  

-yꜣ	-yt
Late Egyptian	Late Egyptian

1. (Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian)Rarely marks the imperfective relative form of all verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of-y  

-w	-w

• James P[eter] Allen (2010),Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,→ISBN,pages328–329, 354.
• Junge, Friedrich (2005),Late Egyptian Grammar: An Introduction, second English edition, Oxford: Griffith Institute, page66

-y

1. Front vowel variant of-u.