Italian

Suffix

-izio ‎(feminine -izia, masculine plural -izi, feminine plural -izie)

1. (forms adjectives) Used to denote derivation.

Usage notes

• The suffix is attached directly to the root of a noun to form an adjective denoting derivation:

Examples:

cardinal(e) ‎(“cardinal”) → cardinalizio ‎(“of or pertaining to a cardinal”)

credit(o) ‎(“credit”) → creditizio ‎(“credit (attributive)”)

prefett(o) ‎(“prefect”) → prefettizio ‎(“of or pertaining to a prefect”)

• Many instances of the suffix are found in words of Latin origin:

• In some cases, the root exhibits fossilised characteristics lost in the correspondent modern Italian root noun:

Example:

nuovo ‎(“new”) → novizio ‎(“new”, “unaccustomed”) (cfr. Latin novīcius, from novus)

• In a few cases, the adjective has no correspondent root noun in modern Italian:

Example:

laterizio ‎(“pertaining to brickwork”) (cfr. Latin laterīcius, from later ‎(“brick”), which has no descendants in Italian)

• Terms derived with this suffix are invariably stressed on the penultimate.

Derived terms