Etymology: < (i) Anglo-Norman and Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French, French -al, and its etymon (ii) classical Latin -ālis (neuter -āle , stem -āli- ), adjectival suffix, ‘of the kind of, relating to’ (also as -al as noun-forming suffix, in e.g. animal animal n.).Formal variation in Latin. Classical Latin -ālis shows formal alternation with -āris -ar suffix¹, the (dissimilatory) form always used when l immediately preceded; compare e.g. ōrālis oral adj. with ālāris alar adj.; for later variation in other phonological contexts, compare e.g. classical Latin līneālis lineal adj. with post-classical Latin linearis linear adj. Formal development in French. The regular development of the reflex of classical Latin -ālis in Old French and Anglo-Norman was -el , but from an early date -al is also found, owing to classicizing influence. This variation is also reflected in Middle English, compare e.g. forms at mortal adj. In English this substitution has been carried through consistently even in words that earlier showed variation (such as mortal adj.), while in modern French both -el and -al are found (both in words formed on French bases, e.g. mondial mondial adj., fonctionnel functional adj., and in words borrowed from Latin or formed in French on Latin bases, e.g. matrimonial matrimonial adj., paternel paternal adj.). History within English. Borrowings and adaptations of French and Latin adjectives are found from early in the Middle English period, e.g. capital adj., general adj., special adj. (See below for nouns found already in Old English.) Formations within English are found from late Middle English, e.g. occasional adj., opinional adj., palaestral adj., professional adj. Formations in -alis are very common in post-classical Latin and scientific Latin, and following this model the suffix has become highly productive in English (as in French), being added very freely either directly to Latin nouns or to English nouns ultimately of Latin origin, e.g. basal adj., circumstantial adj., constitutional adj., denominational adj., documental adj., longitudinal adj., predal adj., providential adj., prudential adj. As in Latin (as e.g. in classical Latin theātrālis theatral adj., post-classical Latin borealis boreal adj., hebdomadalis hebdomadal adj.), in English -al is also suffixed freely to nouns ultimately of Greek origin, as in microcosmal adj., octagonal adj., podagral adj. Secondary formations on other adjectives, in Latin, French, and English. In classical Latin, secondary adjectives in -ālis were formed on other adjectives (especially when these were used as nouns), e.g. aequālis equal adj., annuālis annual adj., perpetuālis perpetual adj., vernālis vernal adj. Such formations became common in post-classical Latin and in French, e.g. celestial adj., eternal adj., infernal adj., paternal adj. This process has been greatly extended in English, where -al (like -ous suffix) is freely applied to Latin adjectives in -eus , -is , -ius (see -ial suffix), -rnus , -uus (see -ual suffix), and other endings, as e.g. in aerial adj., corporeal adj., funereal adj., magnifical adj., terrestrial adj. This probably originated in the desire to give a more distinctively adjectival form to borrowed adjectives, the selection of -al being determined by its frequency in post-classical Latin (compare discussion at -ous suffix). Suffixation in -al is very frequent in English borrowings of Latin adjectives in -ōrius -ory suffix² (see discussion at -orial suffix), and, especially, Latin adjectives in -icus -ic suffix (ultimately of Greek origin), examples of which are found already in late Middle English, e.g. philosophical adj., poetical adj., prognostical adj., rhetorical adj.: see further discussion at -ical suffix. Compare similarly -acal suffix, -oidal suffix. Use forming nouns in Latin, French, and English. In addition to noun formations in -al (e.g. animal animal n., tribūnal tribunal n.), adjectival forms in various genders and numbers occur as nouns in classical Latin, e.g. rivālis rival n.², annāles annals n., Baccānālia (see Bacchanal n.), sponsālia sponsalia n. Already in Old English occasional (chiefly unassimilated or semi-assimilated) borrowings are found, such as corporal n.¹, crystal n., passional n., pastoral n. In Middle English compare e.g. cardinal n., moral n., principal n., signal n. In later use many further examples arise through conversion of adjectives within English, e.g. regimental n., canonical n. Nouns in -ālia (neuter plural) which survived into Old French became -aille (feminine singular) with plural -ailles , adopted in Middle English as -aylle , -aille , -aile , and finally assimilated completely to -al , e.g. classical Latin sponsālia , Anglo-Norman esposailles , esposalles , spousailles , English spousaille , spousailes spousal n. For an analogous formation in Anglo-Norman see arrival n. Probable formations within English are first found in late Middle English, as acquittal n., opposal n., refusal n., supportal n. Formations are very frequent on verbs of Latin or French origin; occasional formations are also found on native final-accented verbs, e.g. bestowal n., betrothal n., beheadal n. bridal n. and burial n. show assimilation to this ending, by association with words of this type.

Etymology: < al- (in alcohol n.), originally (in French) in the name of ethal n.M. E. Chevreul coined French éthal ethal n. in 1823, as the substance was likened to ether and alcohol. This provided the model for Liebig's German coinages Chloral chloral n. (1831) and Acetal acetal n. (1833). The same ending was then adopted for names of aldehydes, after the pattern introduced by G. Chancel in French butyral (1844) and valéral (1845). This usage was formally established in systematic nomenclature by the Geneva Congress of 1892. Compare:1892 Proc. Chem. Soc. 8 July 128 As ol is indicative of an OH derivative, there seems no reason why the simple word acid should not connote carboxyl, and why al should not connote COH. The use of this ending in the names of barbital and its derivatives (sense 2) appears to be arbitrary.