-ia 1suff.1. Disease; pathological or abnormal condition: anoxia.2. Territory; country: Australia.[New Latin, from Latin -ia and Greek -i?, n. suff.]-ia 2suff. Things derived from, relating to, or belonging to: personalia.[Latin, neuter pl. of -ius, and Greek, neuter pl. of -ios, n. and adj. suffixes.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.-ia suffix forming nouns 1. occurring in place names: Albania; Columbia. 2. (Pathology) occurring in names of diseases and pathological disorders: pneumonia; aphasia. 3. occurring in words denoting condition or quality: utopia. 4. (Botany) occurring in names of botanical genera: acacia; poinsettia. 5. (Zoology) occurring in names of zoological classes: Reptilia. 6. occurring in collective nouns borrowed from Latin: marginalia; memorabilia; regalia. [(for senses 1?4) New Latin, from Latin and Greek, suffix of feminine nouns; (for senses 5?6) from Latin, neuter plural suffix]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014-ia an ending of nouns borrowed from Greek and Latin, or coined in English or other languages on a Latin model, that denote esp. places (Ethiopia; Georgia; Liberia), states or conditions, esp. physical disorders (inertia; insomnia; leukemia; phobia), or plants (fuchsia; zinnia); also occurring in other nouns, often orig. or still plural (bacteria; genitalia; insignia; media) or collective (academia; militia). The ending -ia has limited productivity as an English suffix, forming names of disorders ( hypoxia) or plural or collective nouns ( militaria; psychedelia; suburbia). Compare -y 2 . [