-ety
English
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-ety¹
Where it comes from
In some uses, apparently an alteration of -edy, as seen in jaggedy, raggedy, scaredy, etc.; equivalent to -ed + -y. The alteration of -d- to -t- is perhaps due to Scottish influence, where it is common for the past participle of Scots verbs to end in -et/-it rather than -ed as in English.
In other usage, perhaps imitative of repeated action, equivalent to -et + -y. In any case, it is used almost exclusively in sound-symbolic or expressive words.
suffix -edy · -iddy · -ity · -oty
- Often with frequentative force. jig + -ety → jiggety
- Also seen in other fanciful compounds. dig + -ety → diggety, hot diggety dog
-ety²
Where it comes from
Cognate of -ity, ultimately from Latin -(i)tās. See more at -ity.
suffix -ity
- Used to indicate qualities or states. contrary + -ety → contrariety
Talk about this word "-ety." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/-ety. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. -ety. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/-ety "-ety." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/-ety.Cite this
@misc{ety_2026,
title = {-ety},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/-ety},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
