-s

Meaning

Suffix

1. (morpheme) Used to form regular plurals of nouns.
2. (morpheme) Used to form many pluralia tantum (nouns that are almost or entirely without singular forms).
3. (morpheme) When appended to a number ending in at least one 0, expresses a range of numbers which share the digits before some or (usually) all of the 0s; frequently used for decades, centuries and temperatures.

Verb

Alternative spelling of 's.

Synonyms

improvement

Translations

-er

-en

année

-s

anni

emendatio

melioratio

años

Pronounced as (IPA)

/s/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: -s

Inherited from Old English: -as

Cognate with Anglo-Norman: -

Cognate with Scots: -s

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: -s

Cognate with Western Frisian: -s

Cognate with Dutch: -s

Cognate with Low German: -s

Cognate with Danish: -er

Cognate with Swedish: -r

Cognate with Icelandic: -ar

Cognate with Gothic: -𐍉𐍃

Cognate with German: -er

Inherited from Middle English: -es

Inherited from Old English: -es, -as

Cognate with Old English: -eþ

Inherited from Old English: -es

In summary

Inherited from Middle English -s, -es, from Old English -as, nominative-accusative plural ending of masculine a-stem (i.e. strong) declension nouns, from Proto-West Germanic *-ōs, from Proto-Germanic *-ōs, *‑ōz, from Proto-Indo-European *-es, *-oes (plural endings). The spread of this ending in later Middle English was once argued to have been the result of Anglo-Norman influence; however, -as was already the most common Old English plural marker (used in approximately 40% of Old English nouns), and was initially more common in the North of England where French influence was weakest, only later gradually spreading south, replacing the usual southern plural ending -en. Cognate with Scots -s (plural ending), Saterland Frisian -s (plural ending), West Frisian -s (plural ending), Dutch -s (plural ending), Low German -s (plural ending), Danish -er (plural ending), Swedish -r, -ar, -or (plural ending), Icelandic -ar (plural ending), Gothic -𐍉𐍃 (-ōs, nominative plural ending of a-stem masculine nouns). Not directly related to German -er (plural ending) which has a different origin.