-ard

suffix

Someone who is in a specified condition (“pejorative agent suffix”).

“wise + -ard → wizard”

OriginMiddle English -ard ← Old French -ard ← Frankish *-hard →
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Meanings

suffix
  1. Someone who is in a specified condition (“pejorative agent suffix”).

    wise + -ard → wizard

    2 more examples

    drunk + -ard → drunkard

    dull + -ard → dullard

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*harduz“hard”
  2. Frankish*-hard“hardy, bold”
  3. Old French-ard
  4. Middle English-ard
  5. English-ard

From Middle English -ard, from Old French -ard (suffix), from Frankish *-hard (“hardy, bold”), from Proto-Germanic *harduz (“hard”). Cognate with Middle High German -hart. More at hard.

More words from Middle English, Old French, Frankish

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese -鬼
  • -鬼 (-guǐ)someone who is in a specified condition
Esperanto -ulo, -ulaĉo
  • -ulosomeone who is in a specified condition
  • -ulaĉosomeone who is in a specified condition
Portuguese -ardo
  • -ardosomeone who is in a specified condition
Spanish -ardo
  • -ardosomeone who is in a specified condition
Cite this entry
APA

-ard. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ard

MLA

“-ard.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ard. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “-ard,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ard.

Source: -ard on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.