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Suffix · forms nouns

-age

From Latin "-aticum" via Old French: forms nouns of action, result, condition, or collective. Courage, voyage, heritage, lineage, visage, homage, vintage, language, bondage, foliage.

In Spanish: -aje / resultado de la accionLiterary

Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated June 2026

What this suffix does

-age comes from Latin "-aticum" (related to, result of) via Old French "-age." It entered English through the Norman Conquest (1066) in a massive wave of French vocabulary. It forms nouns with several related senses: ACTION/RESULT: voyage (act of voyaging), passage (act of passing), drainage (act of draining). COLLECTIVE: foliage (all the leaves collectively), plumage (all the feathers), tonnage (total tons). CONDITION/STATUS: bondage (state of being bound), homage (condition of paying honour), courage (state of being courageous — from Latin "cor," heart).

Heritage, lineage, visage: the Romance literary core

The most literary -age words come directly from Old French and carry an elevated, formal register: "heritage" = what is inherited, the legacy of the past. Central in political and cultural discourse. "lineage" = descent from an ancestor, bloodline. "of noble lineage." "visage" = face (in literary and archaic contexts). "her pale visage." Far more elevated than "face." "homage" = respectful tribute paid to a superior. "pay homage to." "vintage" = the year's wine harvest, the best of its period: "a vintage year." "language" = the tongue of a people (from "langue" + -age).

Courage: the quality of the heart

"courage" = etymologically "the quality of the heart." From Latin "cor" (heart) + Old French "-age." So courage is literally "heartness." "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear — not absence of fear." (Mark Twain) In English literature, "courage" is a key virtue concept from the knightly romances through Shakespeare. "Dutch courage" = false courage from alcohol. The French origin explains why "-age" words like "courage," "language," and "heritage" sound more formal and elevated than their Germanic equivalents.

How it is formed

Latin/French root + age. Produces nouns of action, result, condition, or collective.

  • action / resultvoy- = voyage · pass- = passage · drain = drainage · wreck = wreckage · block = blockage
  • collectivefoli- (leaf) = foliage · plum- (feather) = plumage · ton = tonnage · herb = herbage
  • condition / elevated registercor- (heart) = courage · herit- = heritage · line = lineage · vis- (face) = visage · hom- (man) = homage · bon- (bond) = bondage

English reduces -age to /ɪdʒ/ (rhymes with "bridge"), not /eɪdʒ/ (like the word "age"). "Voyage" = /vɔɪɪdʒ/, "courage" = /kɜrɪdʒ/, "heritage" = /hɛrɪtɪdʒ/. This is a very common mispronunciation for Spanish speakers.

How it is pronounced

-age/ɪdʒ/ · rhymes with bridge (NOT with "age" the word)

Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.

Examples

Base word
With -age
In a phrase
  • voy- (travel)voyageThe captain described their voyage across the Pacific as the hardest of his life.
  • herit- (inherit)heritageThe museum was built to preserve the cultural heritage of the indigenous community.
  • line (descent)lineageShe traced her lineage back to a small village in southern Spain.
  • vis- (face)visageher pale visage in the mirror
  • hom- (man/lord)homageThe documentary pays homage to the jazz musicians who shaped modern American music.
  • cor- (heart)courage"courage is mastery of fear" (Twain)
  • vint- (vine/year)vintageA bottle of vintage Bordeaux was opened to celebrate the end of the project.
  • foli- (leaf)foliageThe dense foliage along the trail provided welcome shade on a hot afternoon.
  • bond (tied)bondageThe novel tells the story of a man who finally breaks free from bondage.
  • lang- (tongue)languageLearning a second language as an adult is challenging but entirely possible.

Common mistakes

-age is pronounced /eɪdʒ/ (like the word "age")
-age in English is almost always reduced to /ɪdʒ/ (like "bridge")

English reduces -age: "voyage" = /vɔɪɪdʒ/, not /vɔɪeɪdʒ/. "Heritage" = /hɛrɪtɪdʒ/, not /hɛrɪteɪdʒ/. "Courage" = /kɜrɪdʒ/, not /kɜreɪdʒ/. The Spanish "-aje" is pronounced more like French; English reduces it heavily. Very common Spanish-speaker error.

visage = village
visage = face (literary); village = a small settlement

"visage" (/vɪzɪdʒ/) = face, especially in literary or formal contexts: "her pale visage." "village" (/vɪlɪdʒ/) = a small settlement. Same -age ending, completely different roots and meanings. Do not confuse.

A trick to remember it

-age (from Old French/Latin) = noun of action, result, condition, or collective. Key literary words: courage (heart), heritage, lineage, visage (face), homage, vintage. Pronunciation: /ɪdʒ/ like "bridge," NOT /eɪdʒ/ like "age."

Practise what you learned

Exercise 1 · Pick the right one

How do you pronounce the -age in "courage"?

Exercise 2 · Form the word

Etymologically, "courage" comes from Latin "cor" meaning...

Hint: courage = cor + age = the quality of the ___

Exercise 3 · Form the word

An elevated literary word for "face": ___age

Hint: from Latin "vis-" (face/sight)

Frequently asked questions

What does the suffix -age mean in English?

The suffix -age from Latin "-aticum" via Old French: forms nouns of action, result, condition, or collective. Courage, voyage, heritage, lineage, visage, homage, vintage, language, bondage, foliage. In Spanish it usually maps to -aje / resultado de la accion.

How do you pronounce -age?

The ending -age is pronounced /ɪdʒ/ · rhymes with bridge (NOT with "age" the word). For example, "voyage".

Can you give an example of a word with -age?

"voy- (travel)" becomes "voyage". It is a typical example of the -age suffix.

Other useful suffixes

  • -ery / -ry

    From Old French "-erie": forms nouns of activity, place, collective quality or state. Chivalry, trickery, wizardry, bravery, mockery.

  • -itude

    From Latin "-itudo": forms abstract nouns of state or quality. Solitude, gratitude, magnitude, fortitude.

  • -ory

    From Latin "-orius/-orium": forms adjectives meaning "relating to" or "serving for," and nouns for places/instruments. Mandatory, laudatory, contradictory, purgatory, oratory, dormitory, promontory.

Learn every English suffix

-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.

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