-ite

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
-ite1

▶suffix

• 1 forming names denoting natives of a country: Israelite.

  ■ often derogatory denoting followers of a movement: Luddite.

• 2 used in scientific and technical terms.

  ■ forming names of minerals or fossil organisms: ammonite.

  ■ forming names of constituent parts of a body or organ: somite.

  ■ forming names of explosives and other commercial products: dynamite.

  ■ Chemistry forming names of salts or esters of acids ending in -ous: sulphite.

– origin from Fr. -ite, via L. -ita from Gk ītes.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
-ite2

▶suffix

• 1 forming adjectives such as composite.

• 2 forming nouns such as appetite.

• 3 forming verbs such as unite.

– origin from L. -itus, past part. of verbs ending in -ere and -ire.