A history of the English Language

162.
Adaptation.
Some words, in entering the language, retained their original form; others underwent 
change. Words like 
climax, appendix, epitome, exterior, delirium,
and 
axis
still have their 
Latin form. The adaptation of others to English was effected by the simple process of 
cutting off the Latin ending. 
Conjectural
(L. 
conjectural-is
),
 consult
(L. 
consult-are
)
 
exclusion
(L. 
exclusion-em
), and 
exotic
(L. 
exotic-us
) show how easily in many cases this 
could be done. But more often a further change was necessary to bring the word into 
accord with the usual English forms. Thus the Latin ending -
us
in adjectives was changed 
to -
ous (conspicu-us
>
conspicuous)
or was replaced by -
al
as in 
external
(L. 
externus
)
.
Latin nouns ending in -
tas
were changed in English to -
ty (brevity
<
brevitas)
because 
English had so many words of this kind borrowed from French where the Latin -
tatem
regularly became -
té
. For the same reason nouns ending in -
antia, 
-
entia
appear in 
English with the ending -
ance, 
-
ence
or -
ancy, 
-
ency,
while adjectives ending in -
bilis
take the usual English (or French) ending -
ble
. Examples are 
consonance, concurrence, 
constancy, frequency, considerable, susceptible
. Many English verbs borrowed from 
Latin at this time end in -
ate (create,
consolidate, eradicate)
. These verbs were formed 
on the basis of the Latin past participle (e.g., 
exterminatus,
whereas the French 
exterminer
represents the Latin infinitive 
exterminare
). The English practice arose from 
the fact that the Latin past participle was often equivalent to an adjective, and it was a 
common thing in English to make verbs out of adjectives 
(busy, dry, darken)
. 
The renaissance, 1500-1650 209

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