DictionaryRoot: -io
Latin

-io

an action, process, or result

Forms

  • -io
  • -ion- — The longer form used before Latin endings.
  • -ion — The form carried into many English nouns.

Origin

An old Latin noun ending, inherited from earlier Indo-European word formation.

Note

The ending can name both an activity and what that activity produces.

226 / 423
A close three-quarter view of a woman actively taking a spoonful of food into her mouth, with the spoon bowl crossing her lips and a small bowl of soup held below.
noun

ingestion

in-JES-chun/ɪnˈdʒestʃən/

The taking of material into the body by swallowing.

Etymology

The pieces express an act of carrying or putting something in. The underlying verb also meant “pour in,” connecting the general inward movement to taking food, drink, or other substances into the body.

Full entry

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