812: -ine Drug-names and Taxonomy Feb 27, 2017

Similar to '-en' there are many subtly different ways in which the '-ine' suffix is used, almost all of which date back to Latin's '-inus'. Many of the purposes of this ending are scientific, such as for the names of alkaloids, amines, amino acids, halogens, among other things giving English such words as 'cocaine'. This suffix is also used for other purposes like forming rare feminine forms of words, such as 'heroine' and therefore 'heroin'. Aside from drugs (which is purely coincidental), this suffix is used for diminutive purposes, as in 'figurine' from 'figure'. In science again, the suffix is used to mean 'resembling' and is used in words such as 'alpine' and 'crystalline' but also many taxonomical terms like 'canine' or 'piscine' and for plenty of plants like with, 'hyacinthine'.

For more on 'heroin' click the link.

For more on '-en', see one of the 7 in the series here.