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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.

238 / 336
Placental villi and their connection to the fetus illustrate the nourishing placental interface.
adjective / noun

placental

pluh-SEN-tl/pləˈsentl/

Relating to the organ connecting a developing fetus to the uterus.

Etymology
placentLatinflat cake
+alLatinof, relating to

Latin placenta meant a flat cake; the organ was called a “uterine cake” because of its shape. The adjective means relating to that organ, which nourishes the fetus.

Full entry

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