-tion (English)

Where does "-tion" come from?

The English suffix '-tion' travels from the stem of Latin '-tiō'[1]. It passed through Old French '-tion' and rebracketed Middle English '-cioun'[1]. In Modern English, it shifted to '-tion' under the influence of Middle French '-tion' and original Latin spellings[1].

Open questions

• The transition from Middle English '-cioun' to Modern English '-tion' involves rebracketing and the influence of both Middle French and Latin spellings. [1]

Full etymology tree

• -tion (English), 'Used to form nouns meaning "the action of (a verb)" or "the result of (a verb)". Words ending in this suffix are almost always derived from a similar Latin word; a few (e.g. gumption) are not derived from Latin and are unrelated to any verb. More often, -ation is used.'
  • derived -cioun (Middle English)
    • borrowed -tion (Old French)
      • inherited -tio (Latin), '-tion, -ation, -ing; suffixed to verbs to form action nouns denoting a process, action, or result of an action.'

Ancestors

• -tio (Latin)

Descendants and derived words

• -sen (Malay)
• -syen (Malay)

Sources

1. -tion (English) - Wiktionary

Updated September 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris