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-ine¹

suff.

1. Of or relating to: Benedictine.

2. Made of; resembling: opaline.

[Middle English -in, -ine, from Old French, from Latin -īnus, -īna, adj. suff., and from Latin -inus, adj. suff. (from Greek -inos).]

-ine²

suff.

1. also -in A chemical substance, especially:

a. Halogen: bromine.

b. Basic compound: amine.

c. Alkaloid: quinine.

2. Amino acid: glycine.

3. A mixture of compounds: gasoline.

4. Commercial material: glassine.

[Ultimately from Latin -īnus and -inus, adj. suffixes; see -INE¹.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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