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.

191 / 336
An immense stone dam towers above two tiny visitors at its base.
adjective

monumental

mahn-yoo-MEN-tul/ˌmɑːnjuˈmentl/

Exceptionally large, important, or impressive.

Etymology

A monument is a structure that keeps something in memory. Monumental shifted from describing such structures to describing anything comparable to a monument in size, prominence, or impressiveness.

Full entry

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