- to make or become: beautify, simplify, liquefy
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
FY,
-fy,
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026- Businessfiscal year.
-fy,
- a verbal suffix meaning "to make,'' "cause to be,'' "render'' (simplify;
beautify);
"to become,'' "be made'' (liquefy). The suffix was introduced into English in loan words from Old French (deify), but is also used in the formation of new words, usually on a Latin root (reify).
- Old French -fier
Latin -ficāre to do, make
-fy, suffix.
- -fy is found in loanwords from Latin and is attached to roots to form verbs with the meanings "to make;
cause to be;
render'':pure + -fy → purify (= to make pure);simple + -fy → simplify (= to make simple);liquid + -fy → liquefy (= to make into a liquid). - -fy is also used to mean "cause to conform to'':citify (= cause to conform to city ways).
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
-fy suffix forming verbs
'FY' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
-fy
- -ify
- aerify
- alkalify
- ammonify
- argufy
- aurify
- beautify
- biomagnify
- calcify
- carnification
- carnify
- casefy
- certify
- citified
- citify
- classify
- cockneyfy
- countrify
- Cuffee
- dandify
- decalcification
- denazify
- detoxify
- Disneyfy
- disqualification
- dulcify
- edify
- fancify
- -fication
- fie
- fortify
- fructify
- gentrification
- gentrify
- glorify
- gratify
- horrify
- identification
- identify
- indemnify
- jellify
- jollify
- justify
- lapidify
- lignify
- liquefy
- magnify
- metrify
- mollify