-onomy

From Freepedia

Suffixes

-archy

-Biology suffixes

-cide

-cracy

-cycle

-dom

-ic

-illion

-ism

-ist

-izzle

-kinesis

-mania

-nik

-ography

-oid

-ologist

-ology

-ome

-omics

-onomy

-onym

-ous

-phil-

-phobia

-polis

-scope

-stan

-ville

-ware

-onomy is a suffix used in English, derived from Greek.

The suffix derives from the Greek nomos (a law) and often expresses the idea of a collection of the established laws or knowledge pertaining to a field of study.

For example:

• aeronomy - the lore of the (upper) atmosphere
• agronomy - the laws of farming
• astronomy - the laws governing stars and objects resembling stars
• autonomy - living according to one's own laws
• Deuteronomy - (read as) the recapitulation of the Laws of Moses
• economy - the laws of resource-use
• gastronomy - the conventions of haute cuisine
• geonomy - laws relating to the Earth
• heteronomy - external (non-autonomous) law
• isonomy - equality as regards law
• taxonomy - the laws of classification
• theonomy - divine administration or divine government

Compare the slightly less dogmatic-sounding suffix -ology

External links

• http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861633512/-nomy.html
• http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entries/31/n0133100.html