Does -wich suffix (as in Greenwich, sandwich, etc.) have a meaning?
Best Answer
According to Wikipedia, -wich derives from an Anglo-Saxon suffix meaning roughly "a dwelling or fortified place" with extensive trading activity, usually on a coast.
It is ultimately of Latin origin, where the meaning can be more varied and vague: dwelling, dwelling-place; village, hamlet, town; street in a town; farm, esp. a dairy-farm.
I know that's not the answer you want to hear, but the problem with English is that it was invented by a country that was inhabited and invaded over and over again by the French, Romans, Vikings, and Celts.
The -ment suffix is French, the -ion suffix is Latin, the -ing suffix is Germanic, and the -rix suffix is Celtic. There are no rules for learning them without just learning each word as you discover it.
Best Answer
According to Wikipedia, -wich derives from an Anglo-Saxon suffix meaning roughly "a dwelling or fortified place" with extensive trading activity, usually on a coast.
It is ultimately of Latin origin, where the meaning can be more varied and vague: dwelling, dwelling-place; village, hamlet, town; street in a town; farm, esp. a dairy-farm.