What is the suffix used in the nomenclature of esters?

In the nomenclature of esters, the suffix used is "-ate." This reflects the structure of the ester, which is formed by the reaction of an alcohol and a carboxylic acid. When naming an ester, the alkyl group from the alcohol takes the prefix, and the carboxylic acid component is modified to end with "-ate." For example, if an ester is derived from ethanol and acetic acid, it is named ethyl acetate, signifying that the compound is an ester with the alkyl component from ethanol (ethyl) and the carboxylic acid part transformed into the "-ate" ending (from acetic acid to acetate). This naming convention helps clearly identify the functional groups present in the compound and distinguishes esters from other classes of organic compounds.