-ine: Meaning and Definition of

-ine

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a suffix of adjectives of Greek or Latin origin, meaning “of or pertaining to,” “of the nature of,” “made of,” “like”:Cf. -in. asinine; crystalline; equine; marine.

-ine

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a suffix, of no assignable meaning, appearing in nouns of Greek, Latin, or French origin: doctrine; famine; routine.
  2. a noun suffix used particularly in chemical terms (bromine; chlorine), and esp. in names of basic substances (amine; aniline; caffeine; quinine; quinoline). Cf. -in.
  3. a suffix of feminine nouns (heroine), given names (Clementine), and titles (landgravine). Cf. -ina.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.