411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
-ෙක්
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
Sinhalese
Etymology
From si inc-apa -, from si sa एक éka one. Cognate with hi एक.
Suffix
si suffix -ek
Used to form the indefinite form of animate nouns.
si මිනිසා → මිනිස්සෙක් minisā → minissek the man → a man
si බල්ලා → බල්ලෙක් ballā → ballek the dog → a dog
Usage notes
This suffix is used only with animate nouns (humans, animals, deities). Inanimate nouns use the suffix si -ක් -k or si -අක් -ak instead.
When attached to a noun ending in a vowel, the final vowel of the stem is often dropped or modified (e.g., si බල්ලා + si -ෙක් = si බල්ලෙක්).
See also
si -ක් -k (inanimate indefinite suffix)
References
153