Morpheme
-(i)l(e) [-ile, -il, -le]
Type
suffix
Denotation
(1) adjective suffix denoting ability or capacity; (2) chemical suffix naming organic compounds containing a cyano group
Etymology
(1) Old French -il or Latin -ilis; (2) French -ile and German -il; Latin -ilis; (2) French -ile; Italian -ile; Latin -īle, from -īlis
Evidence
agile, audile, civil, docile, fragile, futile, gentle, gentile, juvenile, labile, merchantile, mobile, nitrile, noble, nobility, prehensile, percentile, prehensile, refractile, reptile, scissile, servile, sterile, subtle, toril, utilize, volatile
See Also
Homographs
Ile, Il(l) [Ill, Il], -il(e) [-ile, -il], il-, il-, -il, -le, -(e)le [-ele, -le], (U)le [Ule, Le], -(u)le [-ule, -le]