-ese

From Middle English -eys, from Old French -eis, from Latin -ēnsis and, less often, Late Latin -iscus. Generally used in place of more common equivalent suffixes such as -er and -an on the model of equivalent terms in Italian and Portuguese, particularly for Italian, Portuguese African, and East Asian places first widely discussed in Portuguese and Latin.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /iːz/
• (US) IPA^(key): /iz/; (nonstandard, rare, possibly archaic) /is/^[1]

-ese

1. Used to form adjectives and nouns describing things and characteristics of a city, region, or country, such as the people and the language spoken by these people.

   Synonyms: -ish, -an, -ian, -ic, -ite, -i

   Faroese, Maltese, Milanese, Parmese, Portuguese, Viennese; Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese; Beninese, Congolese, Togolese

2. Used to form nouns meaning the jargon or language used by a particular profession or being or in a particular context.

   Synonym: -speak

   ‎journal + ‎-ese → ‎journalese

   ‎legal + ‎-ese → ‎legalese

   ‎translation + ‎-ese → ‎translationese

Generally speaking, nouns formed with the suffix -ese have no distinct plural form (e.g. two Viennese) and, usually with the definite article, can be plural and refer to an entire group (e.g. the Ravennese). They are also generally not used in the singular, as in "I am a Chinese"; instead, phrases like "I am a Chinese person" are used, where "Chinese" is an adjective. (In some British dialects, "a Chinese" can be used, but to refer to an ellipsis of Chinese meal, rather than a person.) This is not always the case, particularly for (non-native) English speakers from East Asia who use it to translate demonyms such as 日本人 and 中国人, but such countable uses may have nonstandard meanings. See also -ish: "I am an English" is similarly considered improper.

Note: these translations are a guide only. For more precise translations, always see individual words ending in -ese.

• -ess

• SEE, See, ees, see

Presumably from Italian -ese, Portuguese -ese and English -ese + -e.

• IPA^(key): [ˈeː.zə]

• Audio:

  (file)

-ese m (weak, genitive -esen, plural -esen, feminine -esin)

2. Forms nouns indicating an inhabitant of a place.

• As in English, -ese is generally only used to form words on the model of Italian and Portuguese terms, with particular use in Italy, Portuguese Africa, and East Asia. Unlike English, the German terms only function as demonyms that can easily be discussed in the singular and many such terms are now obsolete, having been replaced by equivalents using -er.

• Balinese
• Burmese
• Milanese

Borrowed from English -an, French -ain, Italian -ano, Portuguese -ano/Spanish -ano, all ultimately from Latin -ānus.

• IPA^(key): /ˈese/, /ˈeze/

1=n
2=a

-ese

1. forms nouns and adjectives from nouns, denoting or pertaining to a native, citizen or inhabitant;

   Synonyms: (noun) -ano, -ana, -ita, (adjective) -an

   ‎China (“China”) + ‎-ese → ‎chinese (“Chinese”)

   ‎Geneva (“Geneva”) + ‎-ese → ‎genevese (“Genevese”)

   ‎Francia (“France”) + ‎-ese → ‎francese (“French”)

2. forms nouns and adjectives from nouns, denoting or pertaining to a language;

   Synonyms: (noun) -ano, (adjective) -an

   ‎China (“China”) + ‎-ese → ‎chinese (“Chinese”)

   ‎Brooklyn (“Brooklyn”) + ‎-ese → ‎brooklynese (“Brooklynese, Brooklyn dialect”)

• Alexander Gode, Hugh E. Blair (1955) Interlingua: A Grammar of the International Language, →ISBN

Inherited from Latin -ēnsem (“originating in”), whence also Italian -ense.

• IPA^(key): /ˈe.ze/, (traditional) /ˈe.se/
• Rhymes: -eze, (traditional) -ese
• Hyphenation: -é‧se

-ese m or f (adjective-forming suffix, plural -esi) or
-ese m or f by sense (noun-forming suffix, plural -esi)

1. -ese (both senses); -er

   ‎Libano (“Lebanon”) + ‎-ese → ‎libanese (“Lebanese”)

   ‎Cina (“China”) + ‎-ese → ‎cinese (“Chinese”)

   ‎sinistra (“left”) + ‎-ese → ‎sinistrese (“left-wing political jargon”)

   ‎giornalista (“journalist”) + ‎-ese → ‎giornalistese (“journalese”)