rhizoverbBeta
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.

354 / 371
noun

suspicion

suh-SPISH-uhn/səˈspɪʃn/

A feeling that something may be true or wrong without firm proof.

The torn bag and concealed object arouse the shopper's suspicion of the nearby stranger.

A shopper narrows their eyes at a torn bag and a nearby stranger hiding something behind their back, sensing that something may be wrong.
Etymology
susLatinunder; up from under; subordinate or lesser
+picLatinlook
+ionLatinan action, process, or result

The underlying verb meant “look up at,” but the link to mistrust seems to be looking secretly or askance. Suspicion extends that distrust to an unverified feeling that something is wrong or merely possible.

In context

Chen Qiufan2:05
You cautiously step out on the street for the first time, eyeing the passers-by with suspicion.
Chen Qiufan: A sci-fi vision of life in 2041 | TED
Helen Marriage3:06
Curiosity had triumphed over suspicion, and delight had banished anxiety.
Art that transforms cities into playgrounds of the imagination | Helen Marriage

More examples

  • Her sudden silence arouses my suspicion.
  • The missing money puts every employee under suspicion.
  • We share a suspicion that the meeting will be canceled.

Forms

suspicion · suspicions

suspect verb — To believe something without firm proof.

suspicious adjective — Feeling or causing doubt or mistrust.

Similar words

hunch
Suggests an intuitive feeling rather than concern about wrongdoing.
doubt
Emphasizes uncertainty rather than belief that something is true.
mistrust
Emphasizes a lack of confidence in someone's honesty or reliability.