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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.

83 / 291
noun

finality

fy-NAL-ih-tee/faɪˈnæləti/

The quality of being settled and not subject to further change.

The firmly pressed wax seal gives finality to the parcel's closure.

A person seals a plain completed parcel by pressing the final wax seal onto the tightly tied cord, closed box firmly shut.
Etymology
finLatinboundary or end
+alLatinof, relating to
+ityLatina quality or state

The pieces express the state of being final. In this sense, the endpoint is a conclusive settlement, not merely the last position in a sequence.

In context

Molly Cutpurse10:30
It implies a kind of finality. He knows he can't have a family, a future.
The Morrow Family of Newgate Street, 1945. An audio synopsis.

More examples

  • He is shaken by the finality of the decision.
  • The signed agreement brings a welcome sense of finality.
  • She closes the file with an air of finality.

Forms

finality

Similar words

conclusiveness
Emphasizes settling a question rather than preventing further change.
closure
Closure brings an ending or resolution; finality stresses that further change is excluded.