-aine

See also: Appendix:Variations of "aine"

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛn/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin -āna.

Suffix

-aine f (plural -aines, masculine -ain)

1. (noun) female equivalent of -ain (demonym)

   ‎Améric(ain) (“an American (male or of unspecified gender)”) + ‎-aine → ‎Américaine (“a female American”)

Suffix

-aine f

1. (adjective) forms the feminine singular of demonym adjectives in -ain

   ‎améric(ain) (“American (masculine)”) + ‎-aine → ‎américaine (“American (feminine)”)

Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin -ēna.

Suffix

-aine f (plural -aines)

1. (noun) indicates approximation, suffixed to a number

   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

French terms suffixed with -aine

• huitaine
• neuvaine
• dizaine
• douzaine
• quinzaine
• vingtaine
• trentaine
• quarantaine
• cinquantaine
• soixantaine
• centaine