Dictionary
-ine
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. Cf.
-in1.
-ine
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 esp. in names of basic substances (
amine; aniline; caffeine; quinine; quinoline). Cf.
-in2.
3. a suffix of feminine nouns (
heroine), given names (
Clementine), and titles (
landgravine). Cf.
-ina.Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.