-aceous, -acea, -aceae, -aceaen, -aceus

(Latin: a suffix; having the quality of, of the nature of, characterized by, belonging to, resembling)

There are hunderds of words that utilize the -aceous suffix which are not shown here; however, the following will present important examples.

A suffix that forms adjectives and is used with technical combinations, especially in biological terms: "pertaining or belonging to, of the nature of, or characterized by; to be full of, to possess abundantly". The suffix -acea usually denotes "orders and classes in zoology" while the suffix -aceae usually denotes "orders and families in botany" and -aceaen is used to denote members of "orders of the animal kingdom".

crustaceous (adjective), more crustaceous, most crustaceous
Pertaining to something with a hard crust; having the nature of a shell: The crustaceous object Frank accidentally stepped on was hard, thin, and brittle and turned out to be a piece of a walnut shell!
curvaceous (adjective), more curvaceous, most curvaceous
Descriptive of a well-rounded and attractive female figure: The dress designer wanted to have curvaceous models to wear his newest creations at the upcoming fashion show during the grand opening of the department store.
A well proportioned feminine figure.
© ALL rights are reserved.

A well proportioned feminine figure with pronounced curves.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

dipteraceous (adjective) (not comparable)
Relating to the taxonomic family in the order Malvales; dipterocarpaceous: Tropical trees possessing two-winged fruits are considered to be dipteraceous.
dyssebacia (s) (noun) (no pl)
An ailment caused by an incorrect function of the sebaceous gland: Dyssebacia is a common scaly macular eruption that occurs primarily on the face, scalp (dandruff), and other areas of increased sebaceous gland secretion. The lesions are covered with a slightly adherent oily scale.
foliaceous (adjective), more foliaceous, most foliaceous
Descriptive of a leaf or leaves: Foliaceous growths are leaflike in form, composed of thin laminated layers. and have the texture or nature of foliage or leaves. Some minerals have small, colorless scales which possess a foliaceous quality.
furfuraceous (adjective) (not comparable)
Descriptive of branlike particles; flaky: While June was washing her hair, she noticed the skin on her head to be quite furfuraceous, rough, and scurfy, so she decided to go to the dermatologist for help.
gallinaceous (adjective), more gallinaceous, most gallinaceous
Related to the order Gallinformes: Gallinaceous birds are large and heavy bodied, such as chickens, turkeys, pheasants, and grouses.
herbaceous (adjective), more herbaceous, most herbaceous
1. Relating to an herb: Plants that are herbaceous have green stems, and not ones that are woody.
2. Descriptive of a green leaf: Mr. Wood, Jane's biology teacher, told the students that they should collect herbaceous foliages that are green and leaflike in appearance or texture for their next lesson that week.
interfoliaceous (adjective) (not comparable)
Relating to the node between a pair of leaves; situated between leaves: Rubiaceae plants are noted to have interfoliaceous stipules.
intrafoliaceous (adjective) (not comparable)
Concerning a growth directly above or in front of a leaf: While scrutinizing some plants in his garden, Jack noticed some flowers having intrafoliaceous outgrowths at the base of of the leaves.
iridaceous (adjective), more iridaceous, most iridaceous
Relating to the Iridaceous family of plants: The family of monocotyledonous plants are iridaceous and include the iris, crocus, and gladiolus which all have beautifully colored flowers and swordlike leaves.
lactaceous (adjective), more lactaceous, most lactaceous
1. Regarding a substance containing mostly milk: Doctors usually advise a lactaceous diet for babies.
2. Relating to a liquid or matter which resembles the color of milk: As a member of the spurge family, the poinsettias possess a lactaceous sap which helps to keep moisture within the plant, but can also be toxic if consumed in large quantities.
lardaceous (adjective), more lardaceous, most lardaceous
A reference to a substance which is waxy or fatty; lardlike: A lardaceous matter resembles lard or is affected by deposits of this kind.
lutaceous (adjective), more lutaceous, most lutaceous
Pertaining to, made of, or formed from mud: The children used some fine-grained clay or mud to form some lutaceous bowls for their game in the garden.
margaritaceous (adjective) (not comparable)
Referring to something which has a silky iridescence as that of a pearl: Mike gave his fiancee margaritaceous earrings which were quite pearly, glossy-white. and had light blue reflections.

Also see this closely related -eous suffix unit.