Suggested

How to spell suggested

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce suggested

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does suggested mean?

1. verbPut forward an idea, plan, or possibility for someone else to consider.

Suggested in a sentence

• The consultant suggested a complete overhaul of the filing system.

• She suggested meeting at the café near the station instead.

Where does suggested come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin verb suggerere, which literally meant 'to carry or bring up from below' and so 'to supply' or 'to furnish'. It was built from sub-, meaning 'under' or 'from below', and gerere, meaning 'to carry or bring', the same root that gives us 'gesture' and 'digest'. The sense softened over time from physically supplying something to mentally offering an idea for consideration. English adopted it in the sixteenth century, taking the past participle suggestus, and the modern past-tense form 'suggested' simply adds the regular English ending. The doubled g, which reflects the assimilation of sub- before the g of gerere, is precisely the spelling detail writers tend to forget.

How the word is built

• sug- (variant of sub-: from below, up)
• gest (from Latin gerere: to carry, bring)
• -ed (past tense suffix)