Morpheme
-an(e) [-ane, -an]
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; (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
Evidence
American, Babylonian, bacchanalian, borane, butane, Caesarean, Canadian, civilian, comedian, cyanean, decane, Dominican, -ean, esophagean, ethane, Euclidean, European, Floridian, furan, graphane, guardian, hexane, historian, Italian, Javan, librarian, lunarian, membrane, membranectomy, methane, Mexican, montane, mundane, mundaneness, mundanity, nonane, Nubian, ovarian, Persian, propane, pyran, republican, Roman, steganography, sulfane, theologian, urban, urbane, valedictorian, Wiccan, xylosan, Yugoslavian, Zambian
Notes
Latin -ānus and Ancient Greek -anós are cognate
