rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryRoot: -alis
Latin

-alis

of, relating to

Forms

  • -alis
  • -aris — Latin variant especially used when the stem already contained l, avoiding a repeated l sound.
  • -al — English ending borrowed through French or directly from Latin.
  • -ar — English ending continuing Latin -aris.

Origin

An older Latin adjective-forming suffix; its more remote ancestry is uncertain.

Note

Expresses a relationship without specifying its kind: material, place, purpose, and other connections are possible.

148 / 336
Close natural-history view of a newly hatched caterpillar emerging from its egg on a leaf, beside a fully emerged tiny caterpillar and an empty eggshell.
adjective

larval

LAR-vul/ˈlɑːrvl/

Relating to an animal's immature larva stage before adulthood.

Etymology
larvLatinghost; mask
+alLatinof, relating to

Latin larva meant both a ghost and a mask. Immature animals were called larvae because their unlike appearance was seen as masking the adult form, giving larval its zoological meaning.

Full entry

Related word entries