5.9: §39. The Latin suffix -OSUS (> E -ous, -ose)
Here, for the first time, we meet a Latin adjective-forming suffix that has a somewhat more precise meaning than “pertaining to” or “like a —–.” It is a very productive Latin morpheme, creating a considerable number of English derivatives and influencing many others. The suffix is -ōsus , which regularly meant “full of.” Latin adjectives in – osus appear in English in one of two forms, – ous or – ose .
A . In the following examples, arranged by declension number, the English derivatives in – ous still convey the meaning “full of”; a few Germanic counterparts are supplied:
| 1st | fam-osus ( famous), glori-osus ( glorious), fabul-osus ( fabulous) |
| 2nd | numer-osus ( numerous) , odi-osus ( odious = “hateful”), taedi-osus ( tedious = “tiresome,” “wearisome”) |
| 3rd | amor-osus ( amorous) , odor-osus ( odorous = “smelly”), oner-osus ( onerous = “burdensome”), gener-osus ( generous), lumin-osus (luminous) |
| 4th | sinu-osus ( sinuous) , sensu-osus ( sensuous); cf. sen sualis > sensual |
| 5th | speci-osus ( specious); cf. speci-alis > special |
The immediate predecessor of the English suffix – ous was the Old French – os , – us (Modern French – eux, -euse) . Because – ous became so common an adjective ending in English, it was attached to other Latin derivatives that had never been -osus words—words like aqueous (L aqueus ), various (L varius ), arduous (L arduus ) and tenuous (L tenuis ). You can find out a lot about suffixes like – ous from a good English dictionary, especially the Oxford English Dictionary . Just look up the morpheme under – ous .
B . The other type of – osus derivative appears in English as an adjective in – ose :
E jocose (< L jocosus < jocus ) = “full of jokes”
E lachrymose or lacrimose (< L lacrimosus < lacrima ) = “full of tears” [1]
-
This word is traditionally spelled
lachrymose
, but Latin students may prefer the alternative and equally correct form,
lacrimose
, which is based on the original spelling of
lacrimosus
. ↵