-agem

From Old Portuguese -age, from Old French -age or Old Occitan -atge, from Latin -āticum. Final -m and gender change influenced by words such as imagem. Doublet of -ático.

• (Brazil dialectal) IPA^(key): /ˈa.ʒ(i)/

-agem f (noun-forming suffix, plural -agens)

1. Forms uncountable nouns, from verbs, meaning the practice of doing what is expressed by the verb.

   ‎armazenar (“to store”) + ‎-agem → ‎armazenagem (“storage”)

   ‎reciclar (“to recycle”) + ‎-agem → ‎reciclagem (“recycling”)

   Synonym: -mento

2. Forms nouns, from verbs, meaning an instance of doing what is expressed by the verb.

   ‎filmar (“to film”) + ‎-agem → ‎filmagem (“an instance of filming”)

   ‎lavar (“to wash”) + ‎-agem → ‎lavagem (“a wash”)

   Synonyms: -ção, -mento

3. Forms nouns, from nouns expressing a type of person, meaning attitude or an act expected from that kind of person.

   ‎caipira (“hillbilly”) + ‎-agem → ‎caipiragem (“attitude of a hillbilly”)

   ‎picareta (“fraudster”) + ‎-agem → ‎picaretagem (“fraud”)

   Synonyms: -ice, -ície, -ismo

4. Forms nouns, from nouns, meaning a collection of things; -age

   ‎árbitro (“referee”) + ‎-agem → ‎arbitragem (“referees and umpires who attend a match”)

   ‎ferro (“iron”) + ‎-agem → ‎ferragem (“ironware”)

5. Forms nouns for concepts related to the suffixed word.

   ‎por cento (“percent”) + ‎-agem → ‎porcentagem (“percentage”)

   ‎persona (“persona”) + ‎-agem → ‎personagem (“character”)

• -agem also exists, not as a suffix, in words descending from a Latin word with -āginem (accusative singular of -āgō). For example: imagem, from imāginem.