suffit

Suffit is the third-person singular present indicative form of the French verb suffire, meaning to suffice or be enough. The most common expression built from this verb is il suffit, an impersonal construction meaning it is enough or that will do.

Etymology and usage context: Suffire comes from Old French suffire and ultimately from Latin sufficere, with the sense of providing enough. In modern French, suffit appears in several core phrases and tenses. It is often used with de + infinitive to indicate that a particular action would be sufficient, as in il suffit de cliquer sur le bouton (it is enough to click the button). It can also stand alone in Cela suffit (That is enough) or Cela ne suffit pas (That is not enough).

Grammatical notes: Beyond il suffit, the verb suffire forms other tenses and moods, such as suffira (will suffice), suffirait (would suffice), and suffise in the present subjunctive for clauses that require the subjunctive, e.g., Il faut que cela suffise. The adverb suffa mment and the adjective suffisant are related forms: suffisamment means sufficiently, suffisant means sufficient.

Relation to other terms: The concept of sufficiency is central to French expression and vocabulary of adequacy; common derivatives include suffisant (adjective) and suffisamment (adverb). Sufficiently is closer to English usage of the adverb, while suffire remains the primary verb.

See also: suffisant, suffisamment, suffire.