-y

comparative -ier · superlative -iest

1. Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives meaning “having the quality of”, either “involving the referent” or “analogous to it”.

   mess + -y → messy

   5 more examples

   mouse + -y → mousy

   blue + -y → bluey

   clay + -y → clayey

   tree + -y → treey

   hole + -y → holey

   Synonyms: -al, -an, -ial, -ian, -ly, -ous, -esque, -ish

2. Added to verbs to form adjectives meaning "inclined to".

   run + -y → runny

   2 more examples

   panic + -y → panicky

   twiddle + -y → twiddly

3. informalrareAdded to adjectives to form informal synonyms or adjectives meaning "somewhat, rather".

   bald + -y → baldy

   5 more examples

   bitter + -y → bittery

   posh + -y → poshy

   sick + -y → sicky

   sour + -y → soury

   tart + -y → tarty

plural -ies · alternative -ie · alternative -ey · alternative -ee

1. Forming diminutive nouns.

   gran(nam) + -y → granny

   2 more examples

   pin(afore) + -y → pinny

   (s)tom(ach) + -y → tummy

   Synonyms: -cule, -ee, -el, -et, -ette, -icle, -ie, -kin

2. Forming familiar names, pet names, nicknames and terms of endearment.

   Bill + -y → Billy

   4 more examples

   And(rew) + -y → Andy

   John + -y → Johnny

   Jones + -y → Jonesy

   love + -y → lovey

3. Added for metrical reasons to songs, often in children's music where it may carry diminutive associations.
4. occasionally derogatoryForming colloquial nouns signifying the person or thing associated with suffixed noun or verb.

   junk + -y → junky

   2 more examples

   fridge + -y → fridgy (“fridge magnet”)

   town + -y → towny

5. Forming nouns relative to an adjective.

   bald + -y → baldy

   2 more examples

   dum(b) + -y → dummy

   right + -y → righty

6. Forming colloquial interjections or phrases.

   oops + -y → oopsy

   3 more examples

   alright + -y → alrighty

   right + -y → righty

   wake + -y → wakey

7. Forming childish variants of verbs.

   eat + -y → eaty

   2 more examples

   sleep + -y → sleepy

   touch + -y → touchy

plural -ies

1. countableuncountableForming abstract nouns denoting a condition, quality, or state.

   modest + -y → modesty

   3 more examples

   honest + -y → honesty

   -nym + -y → -nymy as in toponym + -y → toponymy

   -logue + -y → -logy as in analogue + -y → analogy

2. countableuncountableUsed in the name of some locations which end in -ia in Latin.

   Italy, Germany, Saxony, Hungary, Sicily, Lombardy, Tuscany, Albany, Brittany, Gascony, Burgundy, Picardy, Normandy, Romandy, Savoy, Muscovy, Tartary, Arcady, Thessaly, Troy, Turkey.

alternative -ee

1. West CountryobsoleteDenotes the infinitive of verbs when used intransitively.

   Where's your Tom now? Au! he do worky down to factory— he've a-workèd to the gigs two year

   '1886, Frederic Thomas Elworthy, “Gig, Gig-mill”, in The West Somerset Word-Book, volume 1, London: Trübner & Co., page 284

   2 more examples

   But thee, thee wut ruckee, and ſquattee, and doattee in the Chimly Coander lick an Axwaddle ; and wi' the zame tha wut rakee up, and gookee, and tell doil, tell Dildrams and Buckingham Jenkins.

   But you, you would crouch and squat, and dote at the chimley corner like an ash-waddler; then in the same way you would rake up and gook, rave, and prate nonsense and old wives' tales.

   An Exmoor Scolding, A. Brice; B. Thorn, 1771, A Vocabulary or Glossary, D, s.v. To tell Dildrams […], page 43

   d. wiː də ˈbɽɪŋ æʊɽ ˈʃiːp ɪn l̴ami / ‘We bring our sheep in (to) lamb.’ (36 Co 6, book I)

   2008 March 18 [c. 1955], Suzanne Wagner, “English dialects in the Southwest: morphology and syntax”, in Bernd Kortmann, Clive Upton, editors, Varieties of English, volume 1: The British Isles, Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, →DOI, →ISBN, page 432