-ate

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | 488 words | Copyright

-ate3 suffix of verbs formed on pp. stems (-āt-) of L. verbs in -āre, orig. on the basis of existing pp. forms in -ATE2, which were at first often used concurrently with the infs. as their pps., e.g. inf. CONSECRATE, pp. †consecrate (later consecrated); it consequently became possible to form an Eng. verb in -ate on any L. verb in -āre. Many F. verbs in -er (:- L. -āre) have been anglicized by the addition of this suffix to their stems, e.g. FELICITATE.

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T. F. HOAD. "-ate." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "-ate." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-ate2.html

T. F. HOAD. "-ate." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-ate2.html

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