Latin

Alternative forms

• -ēnus, -iānus, -īnus, -ūnus

Suffix

-ānus m ‎(feminine -āna, neuter -ānum); first/second declension

1. Of or pertaining to; -ian; usually indicates a relationship of position, possession, or origin.

Usage notes

The suffix -ānus is added to a noun stem (particularly proper nouns) to form an adjective.

Examples:

mōns ‎(“mountain”) → montānus ‎(“montane, of the mountains”)

pāgus ‎(“village”) → pāgānus ‎(“rustic, of a village”)

Rōma ‎(“Rome”) → rōmānus ‎(“Roman”)

Christus ‎(“Christ”) → christiānus ‎(“christian”)

It is frequently preceded by the noun stem followed by -i- except in the case of Latin nouns (typically borrowed from Greek) ending -e- or -ae-, where it is preceded by -e- instead.

Inflection

First/second declension.

Derived terms

Synonyms

• -ēnsis, -icus

Descendants