suffixfirst/second-declension suffix
-cus
-cus (feminine -ca, neuter -cum)
Classical[kʊs]Ecclesiastical[kus]
Meaning
- morphemesuffixsuffixed to nouns, forms adjectives
iuvenis + -cus → iuvencus
Mārs + -cus → Mār(t)cus
Origins
From Proto-Italic *-kos, from Proto-Indo-European *-kos. Cognate with Ancient Greek -κός (-kós), Proto-Germanic *-gaz, Sanskrit -शस (-śasa) and Proto-Slavic *-kъ. PIE *-ko- on noun stems carried the meaning 'characteristic of, like, typical, pertaining to', and on adjectival stems it acted emphatically.