[CubeRoot]

I'm learning about common polyatomic ions right now and as intuitive as it is, I still want to know where the -ate suffixes come from for most of the anions. I have searched extensively (that's why I found out those are called oxyanions) to know where the -ate suffix comes from and all but one just says that "the one with the higher oxygen atoms has an -ate ending while the lower has an -ite ending" which isn't exactly what I'm looking for.

What I'm looking for is an explanation as to where the -ate suffix comes from in oxyanions independent to the number of oxygen atoms from other oxyanions in its category. The closest one I could get is from sciencing.com in their article "How to Name Polyatomic Ions" and it says that:

"Add the prefix "-ate" if the ion has the higher number of oxygen atoms for an element that can form only two anions. Add the prefix "-ite" for the ion with the lower number of oxygen atoms."

Sadly, I couldn't make sense of it. So I hope someone can provide me with an explanation here 

[chenbeier]

The name was given hundred years ago, the author is not known.
As already mentioned If two oxidation numbers possible lower oxidation number get ite, the higher one ate.

Example

SO₃^2- sulfite, SO₄^2- sulfate
NO₂^- nitrite, NO₃^- nitrate

If more then two possibilities then prefix hypo and per are used

Example

ClO^- hypochlorite
ClO₂^- chlorite
ClO₃^- chlorate
ClO₄^- perchlorate

[AWK]

Méthode de nomenclature chimique - 1787
Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau, Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, Claude-Louis Berthollet, comte Antoine-François de Fourcroy, Jean-Henri Hassenfratz, Pierre-Auguste Adet

https://books.google.co.ug/books?id=13dUAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

[chenbeier]

je ne parle pas français

[AWK]

English translation exists, probably also German.