~ 1
■ suffix forming nouns denoting female gender: abbess.
Origin
from Fr. ~e , via late L. from Gk -issa .
Usage
In modern English, there are few new words coined with the suffix ~ . Many existing feminine forms (e.g. poetess , authoress ) are likely to be regarded as old-fashioned or sexist and avoided in favour of the ‘neutral’ base form (e.g. poet , author ).
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~ 2
■ suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives, such as largess .
Origin
ME via Fr. ~e from L. -itia .