Dictionary![]() ![]() -inea 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. -ine1. 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.
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