German

Alternative forms

• -keit

Suffix

-heit f ‎(plural -heiten)

1. Converts an adjective into a noun and usually denotes an abstract quality of the adjectival root. It is often equivalent to the English suffixes -ty and -ness:

   schön ‎(“beautiful”) → Schönheit ‎(“beauty”)

   neu ‎(“new”) → Neuheit ‎(“novelty”)

2. Converts concrete nouns into abstract nouns:

   Kind ‎(“child”) → Kindheit ‎(“childhood”)

   Christ ‎(“Christian”) → Christenheit ‎(“Christendom”)

Usage notes

• While -heit is the normal form of this suffix, it becomes -keit after certain adjectival suffixes. These are -bar, -ig, -isch, -lich, -sam. For example: nützlich ‎(“useful”) → Nützlichkeit ‎(“utility”).
• Adjectives ending in -el and -er behave irregularly: eitel ‎(“vain”) → Eitelkeit ‎(“vanity”); but: dunkel ‎(“dark”) → Dunkelheit ‎(“darkness”).
• Sometimes -ig- is added to the adjective and the suffix thus becomes -keit: müde ‎(“tired”) → Müdigkeit ‎(“tiredness”). This is the general rule with adjectives in -haft and -los: fehlerhaft ‎(“faulty”) → Fehlerhaftigkeit ‎(“faultiness”).

Derived terms

References

1. ↑ “-heit” in: Friedrich Kluge, “Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache” , 22. Auflage, 1989, bearbeitet von Elmar Seebold, ISBN 3-11-006800-1.

See also

• -heit on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de