-ent

Causing, doing, or promoting a certain action.

Suffix

  1. Causing, doing, or promoting a certain action.
    • absorbent, efficient
  2. One that causes, does, or promotes a certain action.
    • agent, deterrent

Origin

From Middle English -ent, also -ant, -aunt, etc., from Old French -ent and its source Latin -ēns (accusative singular -entem), suffix of present participles of verbs in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th conjugations.

Related

-ant -ance -ancy