On Extinct Suffixes: -arium

On Extinct Suffixes: -arium

RATA, GEORGETA

There are two English nominal suffixes sharing the same meaning ―a place or device containing or associated with [something]‖: -arium and -ary (for the latter, the English language dictionaries mention only the meaning ―one that relates to or is connected with [something]‖). These two suffixes have produced, directly or indirectly, a considerable number of derivatives designating more or less ‗a place‘ (35), ‗a device‘ (33), or other realities (15). Diachronically, the suffix -arium produced most indirect derivatives in the 13th c. and almost stopped producing any in the 20th c., the suffix -ary reached a peak in the 16th c. and stopped producing any in the 20th c., while Latin nouns in -arium were borrowed in considerable amounts in the 19th c. and almost stopped being borrowed in the 20th c. The suffix -arium can, therefore, be considered extinct from the point of view of its productivity. For students in nature-related fields almost all the nouns in -arium and -ary are indicative of places and devices of interest for these fields.

Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed

2011-05

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