Home UK English -ium

Meaning of -ium in English:

-ium

Pronunciation /ɪəm/

suffix

  • 1Forming nouns adopted unchanged from Latin (such as alluvium) or based on Latin or Greek words (such as euphonium).

  • 2

    (also -um)
    Forming names of metallic elements.

    ‘cadmium’
    • ‘magnesium’

  • 3Denoting a region of the body.

    • ‘pericardium’

  • 4Denoting a biological structure.

    • ‘mycelium’

Origin

Modern Latin in -ium (sense 2, -ium sense 3, -ium sense 4), via Latin from Greek -ion.