Meanings
-ish1
- Typical of, similar to, being like.
Her face had a girlish charm.
1 more example
[…] ; for she had recently developed a magpie[-]ish tendency to appropriate and conceal trifling matters; […]
1859, Harriet Parr (as Holme Lee), Against Wind and Tide, volume 1, p. 273Synonyms: quasi-, para-, -oid, -form, -iform, -esque, -ly, -some
- Somewhat, rather.
Her face had a bluish tinge.
1 more example
By one o'clock the place was choc-a-bloc. […] The restaurant was packed, and the promenade between the two main courts and the subsidiary courts was thronged with healthy-looking youngish people, drawn to the Mecca of tennis from all parts of the country.
1935, George Goodchild, chapter 5, in Death on the Centre Court - especiallyAbout, approximately.
We arrived at tennish. We arrived tennish.
We arrived sometime around ten.
1 more example
I couldn't tell his precise age, but he looked fiftyish.
- Of, belonging, or relating to (a nationality, place, language or similar association with something).
British, Cornish, Danish, English, Finnish, Irish, Jewish, Kentish, Polish, Scottish, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish etc.
-ish2
- idiomaticAn ending found on some verbs; see usage notes.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
-ish · suffix
- Proto-Indo-European*-iskos
- Proto-Germanic*-iskaz“-ish”
- Proto-West Germanic*-isk
- Old English-isċ“-ish”
- Middle English-isch
- English-ish
From Middle English -isch, -issh, from Old English -isċ (“-ish”, suffix), from Proto-West Germanic *-isk, from Proto-Germanic *-iskaz (“-ish”), from Proto-Indo-European *-iskos. Cognate with Dutch -s; German -isch (whence Dutch -isch); Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish -isk or -sk; Lithuanian -iškas; Russian -ский (-skij); and the Ancient Greek diminutive suffix -ίσκος (-ískos). Doublet of -esque and -ski.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →-ish · suffix
- Latin-ēscere
- Old French-iss-
- Middle English-ishen
- English-ish
From Middle English -ishen, -ischen, -issen, from Old French -iss-, -is- (a termination of the stem of some forms [present participle, etc.] of certain verbs), from Latin -ēscere, -īscere (an inchoative suffix), the formative -esc-, -isc- (-sc-, Greek -σκ- (-sk-)) being ultimately cognate with English -ish (Etymology 1). See -esce, -escent, etc.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic ـِيّ
- ـِيّ (-iyy)appended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
Basque -xka
- -xkaappended to adjectives
Czech -ský
- -skýappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
Danish -isk, -sk
- -iskappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
- -skappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
- -esiskappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
Dutch -achtig, -ig
- -achtigappended to words
- -igappended to words
- -achtigappended to adjectives
- -igappended to adjectives
- rondappended to numbers
- -ischappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
- -sappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
Finnish -hko, -hkö
- -hkoappended to adjectives
- -hköappended to adjectives
French -âtre, assez
- -âtreappended to adjectives
- assezappended to adjectives
- environappended to numbers
- à peu prèsappended to numbers
- -aineappended to numbers
- -oisappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
- -oiseappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
- -aisappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
- -aiseappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
- -ainappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
- -aineappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
German -haft, -lich
- -haftappended to words
- -lichappended to words
- -igappended to words
- -lichappended to adjectives
- um ... herumappended to numbers
- ca.appended to numbers
- -ischappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
Greek -ικός
- -ικός (-ikós)appended to words
Hindi सा
- सा (sā)appended to adjectives
Hungarian -os, -as
- -osappended to words
- -asappended to words
- -esappended to words
- -ösappended to words
- -sappended to words
- -dadappended to words
- -dedappended to words
- -osappended to adjectives
- -asappended to adjectives
- -esappended to adjectives
- -ösappended to adjectives
- -sappended to adjectives
Icelandic -skur
- -skurappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
Indonesian -an
- -anappended to numbers
Irish scoth-
- scoth-appended to adjectives
Italian -ico, -ica
- -icoappended to words
- -icaappended to words
Japanese っぽい
- っぽい (ppoi)appended to words
Lithuanian -okas
- -okasappended to adjectives
Norwegian -sk
- -skappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
Norwegian Bokmål -aktig
- -aktigappended to words
Polish -iczny, -awy
- -icznyappended to words
- -awyappended to adjectives
- okołoappended to numbers
- kołoappended to numbers
- -skiappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
Portuguese -ico, -ês
- -icoappended to words
- -êsappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
- -esaappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
- -esesappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
- -esasappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
Romanian -ic, -esc
- -icappended to words
- -escappended to words
- -iuappended to words
- -iuappended to adjectives
- -uiappended to adjectives
- -escappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
Russian -ва́тый, -ский
- -ва́тый (-vátyj)appended to adjectives
- -ский (-skij)appended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
Spanish -ico, -iento
- -icoappended to words
- -ientoappended to words
- -entoappended to adjectives
- -osoappended to adjectives
- -ésappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
- -esaappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
Swedish -aktig, -isk
- -aktigappended to words
- -iskappended to roots denoting names of nations or regions
Turkish -ca, -ça
- -caappended to words
- -çaappended to words
- -ceappended to words
- -çeappended to words
- -imsiappended to adjectives
- -imtrakappended to adjectives
- -lerde, -lardaappended to numbers
Welsh -aidd, -aidd
- -aiddappended to words
- -aiddappended to adjectives
Cite this entry
-ish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ish
“-ish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ish. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “-ish,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ish.
Source: -ish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.