Chapter 404 A School Grammar of Attic Greek Dickinson College Christopher Francese

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404 The suffix -ᾱ, nom. -ᾱ or -η, forms many nouns. Most of them denote the action, but many have taken on a concrete meaning, so that the force of the suffix is very various:

ἀρχ-ή beginning, rule, ἄρχω (ἀρχ-) am first, βουλ-ή will, plan, βούλομαι (βουλ-) wish, χαρ- joy, χαίρω (χαρ-) rejoice, μάχ-η battle, μάχομαι (μαχ-) fight, ἀγορ market-place, ἀγείρω (ἀγερ-) gather, σπουδ-ή haste, eagerness, σπεύδω (σπευδ-) hasten
a. Most of these accent the suffix, but some common words accent the penult. b. This ending also appears in many nouns whose origin is uncertain or traceable only by comparing other languages; δίκ-η judgment (in law), right, χώρ-ᾱ land.