-ine

¹ American  

1. a suffix of adjectives of Greek or Latin origin, meaning “of or pertaining to,” “of the nature of,” “made of,” “like”.

   asinine; crystalline; equine; marine.

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-ine ² American  

1. a suffix, of no assignable meaning, appearing in nouns of Greek, Latin, or French origin.

   doctrine; famine; routine.

2. a noun suffix used particularly in chemical terms (bromine; chlorine ), and especially in names of basic substances (amine; aniline; caffeine; quinine; quinoline ).

3. a suffix of feminine nouns (heroine ), given names (Clementine ), and titles (landgravine ).

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-ine ¹ British  

suffix

1. indicating a halogen

   chlorine

2. indicating a nitrogenous organic compound, including amino acids, alkaloids, and certain other bases

   alanine

   nicotine

   purine

3. Also: -in.  indicating a chemical substance in certain nonsystematic names

   glycerine

4. indicating a mixture of hydrocarbons

   benzine

5. indicating a feminine form

   heroine

6. an obsolete equivalent of -yne

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-ine ² British  

suffix

1. of, relating to, or belonging to

   saturnine

2. consisting of or resembling

   crystalline

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Ine ³ British  

/ ˈɪnɪ, ˈɪnə /

noun

1. died after 726, king of Wessex (688–726)

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Etymology

Origin of -ine¹

< Latin -īnus, -inus < Greek -inos

Origin of -ine²

< French < Latin -ina, originally feminine of -inus; also representing Greek -inē, feminine noun suffix

Example Sentences

They are usually given names ending in -ine, as morphine, quinine, aconitine, nicotine, caffeine, &c.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 1 A to Amide by Various