-ferous

1. a combining form meaning “bearing,” “producing,” “yielding,” “containing,” “conveying,” used in the formation of compound words:

   coniferous; pestiferous.

-ferous

combining form

1. bearing or producing Compare -gerous

   crystalliferous

   coniferous

Word History and Origins

Origin of -ferous¹

Middle English; -fer, -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of -ferous¹

from -fer + -ous

Example Sentences

Words having the following terminations are usually accented on the antepenult, or third syllable from the end: cracy, ferous, fluent, flous, honal, gony, grapher, graphy, loger, logist, logy, loquy, machy, mathy, meter, metry, nomy, nomy, parous, pathy, phony, scopy, strophe, tomy, trophy, vomous, vorous.

From Project Gutenberg

NOTE.—This suffix is used only in words of French-Latin origin. -ferous = producing coni-ferous producing cones. -fic = making, causing sopori-fic causing sleep. -fice = something done or made arti-fice something done with art. -fy = to make forti-fy to make strong. -ic -ical n. one who = adj. like, made of, relating to rust-ic   hero-ic metall-ic histor-ical one who has countrified manners. like a hero. made of metal. relating to history.

From Project Gutenberg