-aine

See also: Appendix:Variations of "aine"

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɛn/
  • Audio (France (Somain)):(file)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin -āna.

Suffix

-aine f (noun-forming suffix, plural -aines, masculine -ain)

  1. female equivalent of -ain (noun) (demonym)
    Améric(ain) (an American (male or of unspecified gender)) + ‎-aine → ‎Américaine (a female American)

Suffix

-aine f (non-lemma form of adjective-forming suffix)

  1. feminine singular of -ain (adjective) (demonym)
    améric(ain) (American (masculine)) + ‎-aine → ‎américaine (American (feminine))

Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin -ēna.

Suffix

-aine f (noun-forming suffix, plural -aines)

  1. indicates approximation, suffixed to a number
    vingt (twenty) + ‎-aine → ‎vingtaine (about twenty)
    dix (ten) + ‎-aine → ‎dizaine (about ten)
    douze (twelve) + ‎-aine → ‎douzaine (about twelve, a dozen)
    Il est dans la vingtaine avancée et elle est au début de la trentaine.
    He's in his late twenties and she's in her early thirties.
    Ils ont invité une dizaine d'amis pour un repas chez eux.
    They invited tenish (= about ten) friends to have a meal at their place.
Derived terms