-let
Contents
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Middle English, from Middle French -el, from Latin -ellus + Middle French -et, from Latin -ittus, both diminutive suffixes. Replaced Middle English -el, from Old English -el, -il.
Suffix[edit]
-let
- a diminutive suffix; for example:
Derived terms[edit]
Usage notes[edit]
Alongside -ie/-y and -ette, -let is one of the three most productive diminutive affixes in modern English. It is used almost exclusively with concrete nouns and (unusually for a diminutive) never with names. When used with objects, it generally denotes diminution only in size; when used with animals, it generally denotes young animals; when used with adult persons, it is generally depreciative, connoting pettiness and conveying contempt.
References[edit]
- Schneider, Klaus P. Diminutives in English, p. 96 et seq. 2003.
Hungarian[edit]
Etymology[edit]
-l + -et, created during the Hungarian language reform which took place in the 18th–19th centuries. The neologists popularized it based on verbs ending in -l and further derived with -at/-et. [1]
Suffix[edit]
-let
- (noun suffix) Added to different parts of speech to form a noun.
Usage notes[edit]
- (noun suffix) Harmonic variants:
Derived terms[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Gábor Zaicz, Etimológiai szótár: Magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2006, ISBN 963 7094 01 6