-age - French Suffix

Suffix: -age

Type of suffix: nominal

Gender of words with suffix: masculine*

The French suffix -age can be added to verbs or nouns to make new nouns and has a couple of possible meanings.

1. When added to a verb, -age indicates the action, purpose, or result of that verb, usually equivalent to the English gerund (noun ending in -ing):

   assemblage - assembling, assembly
   (added to assembler - to assemble)

   le balayage - sweeping, scanning
   (added to balayer - to sweep, scan)

   le jardinage - gardening
   (added to jardiner - to garden)

   le raffinage - refining, refinement
   (added to raffiner - to refine)

   le rasage - shaving, shearing
   (added to raser - to shave, shear)


2. Far less commonly, -age is added to verbs or nouns to indicate a group or series.

   le dallage - paving, pavement
   (added to daller - to pave)

   échafaudage - scaffolding
   (added to échafaud - scaffold)

   le veuvage - widowhood, widowerhood
   (added to veuve - widow)


*Note: French nouns with the suffix -age are always masculine. However, there are a handful of words, like page, that end in the letters age (but not the suffix) that are feminine - see masculine noun endings.


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