-n

Suffix (1)

-en

1. (idiomatic) Denotes the past participle form when attached to a verb.
   • take + -en → taken
2. (archaic) Denotes a quasi-past participle or participle-like adjective when attached to a noun or verb.
   • fork + -en → forken (“forked”)

Suffix (2)

-en

1. Used to denote the plural form of a small number of English nouns, the majority of whose etymologies go back to the n-stem (i.e. weak noun) declension of Germanic languages.
   • aurochs + -en → aurochsen
   • brother + -en → brethren (religious sense)
   • child + -en → children (cf. childer)
   • ox + -en → oxenExamples in general modern use
2. (dialectal, humorous, nonstandard, often, rare) Used to form the plural of nouns.
   • box + -en → boxen

Suffix (3)

-en (verb-forming suffix, third-person singular simple present -ens, present participle -ening, simple past and past participle -ened)

1. When attached to certain adjectives, it forms a transitive verb whose meaning is, to make (adjective). Usually, the verb is ergative, sometimes not. The same construction could also be done to certain (fewer) nouns, as, strengthen, in which case the verb means roughly, "to give (noun) to", or "to become like (noun)".
   • white (adjective) + -en → whiten

Suffix (4)

-en (adjective-forming suffix, comparative more -en, superlative most -en)

1. Pertaining to, having the qualities of, resembling, or like.
   • wolf + -en → wolven

See all 13 meanings of -en

Suffix

-an (adjective-forming suffix, comparative more -an, superlative most -an)

1. Of or pertaining to; an adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to make an adjective form. (Often added to words of Latin origin, but also used with words of other origins. When a word ends in a, -n is used instead.)
   • Rome + -an → Roman

   Synonyms:

   -al, -ar, -ese, -esque, -ic, -id, -ish, -like, -oid, -ous

2. One from, belonging to, relating to, or like.
3. Appended to nouns to form an occupation. (When males with a profession are distinguished from females, males are -an, females -(i)enne.)
   • comedy + -an → comedian