Ous
/aʊs/noun
A suffix used in English to form adjectives indicating possession of a quality or condition.
Did you know?The suffix 'ous' is derived from Latin, where it often connoted a sense of fullness or abundance — think 'famous' as being full of fame!
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
-osus
“having a quality or abundance of (full of)”
Old French
Old French
-ous
“forming adjectives indicating a quality or condition”
Middle English
Middle English
-ous
“used to form adjectives from nouns, indicating possession of a quality”
Modern English
English
-ous
“a productive English adjectival suffix denoting a characteristic or quality”