-ious
1.
variant of
-ous
, added to stems of Latin origin, often with corresponding nouns ending in
-ity:
atrocious; hilarious.
Compare
-eous
.
Origin
Middle English
≪
Latin
-iōsus
(see
-i-
,
-ose
1
) and
Latin
-ius
(masculine singular adj. ending, as in
varius
)
British Dictionary definitions for
-ious
-ious
suffix
1.
characterized by or full of:
ambitious,
religious,
suspicious
Compare
-eous
Word Origin
from Latin
-ius
and
-iōsus
full of