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The nouns ending in -age are generally masculine... even if they end with an -e !
○ Etymology of the -age ending
○ Etymology of the -age ending
The -age ending comes from the latin ending -aticus.
Viaticus → voyage (trip, journey)○ Meaning of the of the -age ending
○ Meaning of the of the -age ending
• Noun derived from a verb : indicates the action of the verb, sometimes the result of the action.
Aborder (to board) → un abordage (a boarding, often to talk about pirates attacking a ship)Raser (to shave) → le rasage (the shaving)Atterrir (to land)→ un atterrissage (a landing)Embouteiller (to bottle)→ un embouteillage (1. a trafic jam 2. the action of bottling a beverage, in a distillery for example.)* Note that the -age ending matches with the english -ing verb ending.
• Noun derived from another noun : bring a notion of collectivisation.
Une feuille (a leave, a sheet)→ le feuillage (the foliage)Un outil (a tool) → un outillage (a tool set)Un poil (a hair)→ le pelage (the fur)• Noun derived from another noun : indicates a state, a condition, or a relation with a group.
Un esclave (a slave) → l'esclavage (slavery)une veuve (a widow)→ le veuvage (widowhood)• Noun derived from another noun : a relation with a place.
un marais (a swamp) → un marécage (a swampland)un pays (a country, the land) → un paysage (a landscape) ○ The exceptions
○ The exceptions
Few words ending with -age are feminine because they don't come from the latin root -aticus.
une cage (a cage)une image (a picture)la nage (a swim)une page (a page)une plage (a beach)la rage (rage)Google Sites
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