# If we have canine, feline, equine, etc **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 12, 2025, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-have-canine-feline-equine-etc/1015483 "2025-03-12T18:19:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-have-canine-feline-equine-etc/1015483/1 "2025-03-12T18:19:50Z")
… then why isn’t it pronounced “mah-RYNE”? ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-have-canine-feline-equine-etc/1015483/2 "2025-03-12T19:24:26Z")
My guess is that it’s because ‘marine’ comes from Old French, while the other words came straight from Latin. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-have-canine-feline-equine-etc/1015483/3 "2025-03-12T19:31:48Z")
I guess it matters how much vocal resonance comes from your DI in bootcamp. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-have-canine-feline-equine-etc/1015483/4 "2025-03-12T19:34:56Z")
The OED says this about the _-ine_ suffix (TL;DR: there’s no systematic reason for the pronunciation differences): > The termination is widely used in natural history and zoology in forming adjectives, with or without a Latin model, on the names of genera, as acarine, accipitrine, bovine, caprine, equine, feline, hystricine, murine, passerine, viverrine; in later use many are modelled on scientific Latin group names (based on the names of genera) with the plural ending ‑ina(neuter plural, originally with Latin animalia understood) or ‑inae (feminine plural, originally with Latin bestiae understood; later as a formal taxonomic ending for subfamily names, after the pattern of ‑idae used for family names), as gadine, lambeosaurine, mastodontine, milleporine, paradoxurine, pythonine. In these natural history adjectives the pronunciation is British English /ʌɪn/, U.S. English /aɪn/, usually unstressed; but in other words it is very various, depending upon the length of time the word has been in English, the channel through which it came, the place of the stress, and other circumstances: compare [divine _adj._](https://www.oed.com/dictionary/divine_adj?tab=meaning_and_use#6313947), [supine _adj._](https://www.oed.com/dictionary/supine_adj?tab=meaning_and_use#19702422) British English /ʌɪn/, U.S. English /aɪn/, [marine _adj._](https://www.oed.com/dictionary/marine_n?tab=meaning_and_use#38079579) British English /iːn/, U.S. English /in/, [feminine _adj._](https://www.oed.com/dictionary/feminine_adj?tab=meaning_and_use#4609932), [genuine _adj.1_](https://www.oed.com/dictionary/genuine_adj1?tab=meaning_and_use#3091036) British English /ɪn/, U.S. English /ən/, [aquiline _adj._](https://www.oed.com/dictionary/aquiline_adj?tab=meaning_and_use#40557418), [bovine _adj._](https://www.oed.com/dictionary/bovine_adj?tab=meaning_and_use#15909730), [leonine _adj.1_](https://www.oed.com/dictionary/leonine_adj1?tab=meaning_and_use#39317921), [alkaline _adj._](https://www.oed.com/dictionary/alkaline_adj?tab=meaning_and_use#7047107) British English /ʌɪn/, U.S. English /aɪn/, and see the history of the individual words. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-have-canine-feline-equine-etc/1015483/5 "2025-03-12T19:39:25Z")
Pronunciation rules in English are basically: _give it your best shot._ ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2025, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-have-canine-feline-equine-etc/1015483/6 "2025-03-13T15:13:32Z")
I’d drop the “best” from that.