Morpheme
-(a)n(e) [-ane, -an, -n]
Type
suffix
Denotation
(1) adjective suffix denoting “pertaining to, characterized by, tending to, belonging to, originating from”; (2) agent suffix; (3) chemical suffix naming a fully saturated hydrocarbon chain that contains no double or triple bonds; (4) chemical suffix naming a simple binary compound of hydrogen and a nonmetal or metalloid
Etymology
(1) Latin -ānus, -āna, -ānum from rebracketed <-a-> of stem + -nus; (2) Middle English -an, -ain, -ein, -en; Old French -ain, -ein, -en; Latin -ānus; (3) Latin -iānus, from -i- + -ānus; (4) Latin -aeus, -eus, -ēus + -ānus; Ancient Greek -aîos, -eîos; (5) Ancient Greek -anós; (6) Romanian -ân; Latin -ānus
Evidence
alkane, American, -anoic, borane, butane, decane, dodecane, Dominican, dotriacontahectane, dotriacontane, eicosane, ethane, furan, graphane, Haitian, hentetracontane, hentriacontane, heptacontane, heptadecane, heptatriacontane, hexacontane, hexadecane, hexane, hexatetracontane, hexatriacontane, icosane, indane, Italian, Javan, librarian, lupanine, membrane, membranectomy, methane, Mexican, montane, mundane, mundaneness, mundanity, nonacontane, nonadecane, nonane, nonatriacontane, octacontane, octadecane, octane, octatriacontane, -orian, ovarian, pentacontane, pentadecane, pentane, pentatriacontane, pregnane, propane, pyran, republican, Roman, Romania, serranochromine, steganography, sulfane, terpane, tetracontane, tetradecane, tetratetracontane, tetratriacontane, triacontane, tridecane, tritriacontane, undecane, undecanoic, untriacontane, urban, urbane, Utahn, valedictorian, Wiccan, xylosan
Notes
Latin -ānus and Ancient Greek -anós are cognate
See Also
-ean, -ian, -aan, -ano, -ana, -anum
Homographs
Ane, Ane, -ane, An, An, An, a(n)- [a-, an-], -an, -an, N, n-, -n-, -n, -(e)n(e) [-en, -ne, -n], -(e)n [-en, -n]
