Forming nouns. [Old French, based on Latin-aticum, neuter form of the adjectival ending-aticus .]. Some of the oldest examples came into English from French, such as language, voyage, or courage. Many others have been formed subsequently in English on their models. They are a diverse collection. A few examples of a large group are coinage, cottage, damage, marriage, mileage, mortgage, peerage, plumage, postage, village, and voltage.