| an adjectival suffix with the meanings “composed of,” “resembling, having the nature of,” occurring in loanwords from Latin (igneous; ligneous; vitreous); also, as a semantically neutral suffix, found on adjectives of diverse origin, sometimes with corresponding nouns ending in -ty2 (beauteous; courteous; hideous; homogeneous; plenteous; righteous). |
| -eous suff. Having the nature of; resembling: gaseous. [Middle English, from Old French -eux, -eus (from Latin -ōsus) and from Latin -eus.] |
