A history of the English Language

139.
Suffixes.
A similar decline is observable in the formative power of certain suffixes that were 
widely used in Old English. The loss here is perhaps less distinctly felt because some 
important endings have remained in full force. Such are the noun suffix -
ness
and the 
adjective endings -
ful, 
-
less,
-
some,
and -
ish
. But others equally important were either lost 
or greatly diminished in vitality. Thus the abstract suffix -
lock
(OE 
l
ā
c
) survives only in 
wedlock, 
-
red
(OE 
) only in 
hatred
and 
kindred
. The ending -
dom
was used in 
Old English to form abstract nouns from other nouns 
(kingdom, earldom, martyrdom)
and 
from adjectives 
(freedom, wisdom)
. In Middle English there are some new formations 
such as 
dukedom
and 
thralldom,
but most of the formations from adjectives, like 
falsedom
and 
richdom,
did not prove permanent, and the suffix is to all intents and 
purposes now dead. When used today it is for the most part employed in half serious 
coinages, such as
 fandom, stardom, topsy-turvydom
. The endings -
hood
and -
ship
have 
had a similar history. 
Manhood, womanhood, likelihood
are new formations in Middle 
English, showing that the suffix retained its power for a while. In fact it occasionally 
reasserts itself in modern times. 
Boyhood
and 
girlhood
date from the eighteenth century, 
Middle english 169

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while 
hardihood
is apparently a creation of Milton’s that was revived by Macaulay. 
Many of the Old English abstracts in -
ship
were lost. We have kept
 friendship
but not
 
fiendship,
and of those formed from adjectives in Old English the only one still in use is 
worship
(worthship). Most of the new formations in Middle English had a short life. We 
have retained 
hardship
but not 
boldship, busiship, cleanship, kindship,
etc. In all these 
instances the ending -
ness
was preferred. As in the case of prefixes, we can see here a 
gradual change in English habits of word formation resulting from the available supply of 
French words with which to fill the needs formerly met by the native resources of the 
language.