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40 Helpful Words Ending in -Ade

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Words ending in -ade (or -cade) have a certain panache to them, often denoting a vivid action (including, frequently, military activities or endeavors) or a product or outcome of an action — hence several words referring to food or drink.

Most terms in English are borrowed from the French suffix -ade, cognate with the Italian form -ata (which also appears, for example, in inamorata, meaning “lover”) and the Spanish -ada (found in such words as armada, meaning “armed fleet”); all three elements are derived from the Latin suffix -atus (as in apparatus). In several words with -ade endings, such as brocade, decade, invade, pervade, and pomade, the suffix is not derived from -atus, but check out this list of those that are:

1. Accolade: an award or an expression of praise, or a ceremony at which one or both are given
2. Ambuscade: an ambush
3. Aquacade: an aquatic entertainment in which participants swim and dive to music
4. Balustrade: a row of vertical supports for a railing, or any barrier
5. Barricade: a barrier or other obstacle, or the action of creating one (unrelated to barrier, which comes from the Anglo-French word barre, meaning “bar”)
6. Blockade: an obstruction to prevent supplies or military personnel from moving from one place to another by land or sea, or any similar preventive action, or an interruption of physiological processes; also, to undertake such an action
7. Brigade: a large military unit, or an organized group (as a bucket brigade, a line of people relaying buckets full of water to douse a fire)
8. Cannonade: a bombardment, or the figurative equivalent, as in a verbal attack
9. Carronade: a short-barreled cannon (unrelated to cannon, the word is from the place name of Carron, Scotland)
10. Cascade: one or more steps in a waterfall or any similar movement, a cascading pattern in material, or a process that occurs in stages in which each one causes another; also, used as a verb to describe one of these actions
11. Cavalcade: a procession of people riding on animals or in vehicles or vessels, or a series
12. Charade: a puzzle or game (the latter referred to as charades) in which participants try to guess a word or phrase, or a pretense
13. Chiffonade: a vegetable or herb serving or garnish
14. Crusade: an enthusiastic effort to remedy or improve a situation; also a verb and, as crusader or crusading, an adjective
15. Colonnade: a line of regularly spaced columns
16. Defilade: a fortification that narrows the enemy’s maneuvering area, or the area in a structure or in a terrain out of the enemy’s line of fire
17. Enfilade: a flanking attack along the enemy’s line of fire, or a series of rooms, each of which opens into the next
18. Escalade: an act of climbing, especially a fortification
19. Escapade: an unapproved or unconventional activity or adventure
20. Esplanade: an open area for walking or driving, especially on a shoreline
21. Fusillade: shots fired simultaneously or in succession, or a similar attack of projectiles or the figurative equivalent, as in an outburst of spoken or written criticism
22. Gallopade: a type of spirited dance
23. Gasconade: boasting or bravado
24. Glissade: a gliding or sliding ballet step, or any movement suggestive of one; also, to undertake this action
25. Lemonade: a drink made of lemon juice, sugar, and water
26. Limeade: a drink made of lime juice, sugar, and water
27. Marinade: a savory sauce used to flavor and/or tenderize meat; the verb form is marinate
28. Marmalade: a jelly that includes pieces of fruit and fruit rind
29. Masquerade: a party whose attendees wear masks and costumes, or the costume itself; also, something done for show or to deceive, or to disguise, or a verb describing this type of behavior
30. Motorcade: a procession of motorized vehicles
31. Orangeade: a drink made of orange juice, sugar, and water
32. Palisade: a protective fence made of pointed stakes, or one such stake, or a line of cliffs suggesting a barrier
33. Parade: a procession or mobile array, a formation of troops or the site of the formation, people strolling or the place where they stroll, or a spectacle or a series of actions or efforts suggestive of such an exhibition; also, to perform one of these activities
34. Pasquinade: a satire
35. Promenade: a place where people stroll, or a public walk or ride undertaken for enjoyment or to show off, a march at the beginning of a formal ball in which all guests participate, or a movement in square dancing (in addition, the word from which prom is truncated); also, to undertake any of these activities
36. Renegade: one who defies normal standards of behavior or abandons one cause for another
37. Scalade: an archaic variant of escalade (see above)
38. Serenade: a musical performance intended to compliment the listener, especially one performed as part of a courtship, or a specific type of musical composition for a small group of performers
39. Stockade: an enclosure of posts or stakes constructed to keep prisoners in or the enemy out
40. Torsade: an ornament, especially for a hat, of twisted cord or ribbon

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3 thoughts on “40 Helpful Words Ending in -Ade”

  1. It might be helpful to include common pronunciation differences (although these may vary), e.g. fusillade vs motorcade.

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