Word Building - derivation

from adjectives

§141

I.B.a.- NOUNS are derived FROM ADJECTIVES by means of the suffixes listed below. On adjectives used as pronouns or nouns, see §40-§41 above.

-essa

'state or quality of being ...' e.g.

polite > politessa 'politeness'; ric 'rich' > ricchessa 'wealth';

new formation: apte 'apt' > aptessa 'aptitude'

-ia

(pron '-ia) 'state or quality of being ...' e.g.

efficace 'effective' > efficacia 'effectiveness';

new formation: felice 'happy' > felicia 'happiness'; fraudulente 'fraudulent' > fraudulentia 'fraudulence'

Note: Used chiefly with adjectives in -nte. The combination -ntia coincides with the postverbal noun suffix -ntia. See §148 under -antia.

-ia

(pron -'ia) 'state or quality of being ...' e.g.

zelose 'jealous' > zelosia 'jealousy';

new formation: brachycephale 'brachyeephalic' > brachycephalia 'brachycephalism'

Note: Used chiefly with technical compounds.

-ismo

1. 'state or quality of being ...' e.g.
   provincial > provincialismo 'provincialism';
   new formation: brutal > brutalismo 'brutality';
2. 'doctrine or practice concerned with what is ...' e.g.
   social > socialismo 'socialism';
   new formation: atonal [Mus.] > atonalismo [Mus.] 'atonalism';
3. 'something characteristic of the... people or of their language' e.g.
   german 'German' > germanismo 'Germanism';
   new formation: polynesian 'Polynesian' > polynesianismo 'Polynesianism'
   Note: For derivatives from nouns, see §138.

-ista

'adherent of the doctrine or practice concerned with what is ...' e.g.

social > socialista 'socialist';

new formation: atonal [Mus.] > atonalista [Mus.] 'adherent of atonalism'

Note: For derivatives from nouns, see §138.

-itate

'state or quality of being ...' e.g.

regular > regularitate 'regularity';

new formation: cohesive > cohesivitate 'cohesiveness'

Note: Synonym of -itude, but preferred when the base is already a derivative. In further derivation (not recommended for active use), -itate appears as -it- before suffixes beginning with a; e.g.

autoritate 'authority' plus -ari > autoritari 'authoritarian.'

-itude

'state or quality of being ...' e.g.

certe 'certain' > certitude 'certainty';

new formation: emerite 'emeritus' > emeritude 'emeritus status'

Note: Synonym of -itate. Extended to -itudin- in further derivation; e.g.

latitude latitudinal.

§142

I.B.b.- The active derivation of ADJECTIVES FROM ADJECTIVES is limited to the use of one diminutive suffix and the formation of absolute superlatives in -issime treated in §36 above. Note that every noun in -ista can function as an adjective. e.g. socialista 'socialist, socialistic.'

-ette

'somewhat..., pretty ...' e.g.

belle 'beautiful' > bellette 'pretty';

new formation: blanc 'white' > blanchette 'whitish'

§143

I.B.c.- On the formation of DERIVED ADVERBS see §45-§47 above.

§144

I.B.d.- The derivation of VERBS FROM ADJECTIVES runs completely parallel to that of verbs from nouns. See §140 above.