An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

1. Adjective suffix denoting “of, relating to, or characterized by;” e.g. astronomical, material, equal, final, general, directional, fictional, etc. Variant
   → -ar.
   

2. Noun suffix, used with verbs (refusal, rehearsal, etc.) or nouns (canal, etc.).

Etymology (EN): 1) M.E., from O.Fr., from L. -alis
2) M.E. -aille, from O.Fr., from L. -alia, from neuter pl. of -alis.

Etymology (PE): 1) -i, contraction of -ik, → -ic; -var Mid.Pers. -uwar, -war, from O.Pers. -bara, from bar- “to bear, carry,” variant -ur; -mand from Mid.Pers. -omand, O.Pers./Av. -mant, cf. Skt. -mant.

2. In Persian, -âl, a suffix of attributes and similarity, is used to form adjectives that often become nouns. Sometimes it occurs as -al or -el and may be confounded with -ul and -ulé, → -ule. Its link with L. -alis is not established. Some examples:
   dombâl “rear part; continuation; tail,” from domb “tail” + -âl,
   cangâl “fork; claws,” from cang “claw; hook” + -âl,
   pušâl “tinder, rubbish,” from puc, puk “hollow” + -âl,
   ravâl “trend,” from row present stem of raftan “to go” + -âl,
   xoškâl “dried twigs and leaves of a green tree,” from xošk “dry” + -âl,
   tofâl “remains of anything squeezed,” from tof “saliva” + -âl,
   kupâl “club,” from kup-, kub(idan) “to beat, strike, pound”
   • -âl,
     gowdâl “hole, pit, low place,” from gowd “deep”
   • -âl,
     tâval “blister,” from tâv-, tâb-, tâbidan “to become warm, burn,” + -al.
     kandâl “pit (Qâeni), watercourse, canal (Kordi),” from kand stem of kandan “to dig, pluck, extract” + -âl,
     mərdâl (Tâleši Xošabar) “dead,” from mərd “to die”

• -âl,
  capâl “left-handed,” from cap “left” + -âl,
  gaštal (Laki) “wanderer, vagabond,” from gaštan “to turn, return, change, look about” + -al,
  kašal (Torbat Heydariye-yi) “elongated,” from kašidan “to draw, extend”
• -al,
  gerdel (Hamadâni, Lori, Qomi) “round, loop,” from gerd “round” + -el,
  peškel “orbicular dung of sheep,” from pešk “dung” + -el.