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-ferous

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a combining form meaning “bearing,” “producing,” “yielding,” “containing,” “conveying,” used in the formation of compound words: coniferous; pestiferous.
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Compare -fer.

Origin of -ferous

Middle English; see -fer, -ous

Words nearby -ferous

fern root, fern seed, ferny, ferocious, ferocity, -ferous, ferr-, Ferrar, Ferrara, Ferrari, Ferraro
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for -ferous

-ferous
adj combining form
bearing or producingconiferous; crystalliferous Compare -gerous

Word Origin for -ferous

from -fer + -ous
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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