-en, added to noun-stems to form adjectives chiefly indicating the material of which a thing is composed. From the 16th century onwards there has been a tendency to discard these adjectives for the attributive use of the substantive, as in 'a gold watch;' only a few words are still familiarly used in their literal sense—earthen, wheaten, wooden, woollen. [A.S. -en; Goth. -en, -an, Ger. -en, -ein, Sans. -um; a genitive suffix, as in mine.]
-en, pa.p., as woven, borne, sworn. [A.S. -n, -ne, -en; conn. with -ant, -ent.]
-en, pl. suffix, as oxen, kine (for M. E. kyen—A.S. cý, pl. of cú, a cow). [A.S. -an.]
-en, to make, as darken, moisten, strengthen, whiten.
-en, -in, -ene, belonging to, as alien, vermin, terrene. [L. -enus, -ena, -enum.]
-ence, -ency. See -nce, -ncy.
-ent, belonging to, as different. [L. -ens, -entis. See -ant.]
-eous, in righteous, corr. of -wise (which see); in courteous, from O. Fr. -eis (from L. -ensis.)
-eous, same as in -ous, as ligneous. [L. -eus.]
-er, freq. and intens., as glimmer, flutter.