suffixisch

Suffixisch is a German adjective used in linguistics to describe something related to suffixes or suffixation. It can refer to morphological processes that attach a suffix to a base form to derive a new word or to descriptions of words that rely on suffixes for meaning or grammatical function.

Etymology: The word is formed from suffix plus the adjectival suffix -isch, following standard German word formation. In German, the term suffix is often rendered as Nachsilbe, but Suffix is also common in technical writing. The form suffixisch mirrors other -isch adjectives such as sprachlich or semantisch.

Usage and scope: The term is used primarily in descriptive phrases to denote processes that involve a suffix. It is not a fixed typological label like “suffixing language” or “agglutinative” in German; in technical writing authors typically employ explicit terms such as suffixbildung, suffixische Ableitung, or suffixation, or use the English loanword suffixing when appropriate.

Examples: Derivation with -lich can be described as Kind + -lich yielding kindlich (childlike). Diminutive formation with -chen: Kind + -chen yields Häuschen. Feminine derivation with -in: Lehrer → Lehrerin. Plural formation with suffixes such as -e: Tisch → Tische. These illustrate how suffixes contribute to word formation and grammatical marking in German.

See also: Suffix, Suffixation, Morphology, Nachsilbe, German linguistics.