By rebracketing of diminutives such as libellus (liber + -lus) or fēmella (fēmina + -la), where the stem consonants -n- and -r- shifted to -l- by regressive assimilation; or diminutives of diminutives such as porcellus (porculus + -lus).
-ellus (feminine -ella, neuter -ellum); first/second-declension suffix
The suffix -ellus is added to a noun to form a diminutive of that noun.
When added to an adjective, it forms a diminutive of that adjective.
First/second-declension adjective.
| singular | plural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | masculine | feminine | neuter | ||
| nominative | -ellus | -ella | -ellum | -ellī | -ellae | -ella | |
| genitive | -ellī | -ellae | -ellī | -ellōrum | -ellārum | -ellōrum | |
| dative | -ellō | -ellae | -ellō | -ellīs | |||
| accusative | -ellum | -ellam | -ellum | -ellōs | -ellās | -ella | |
| ablative | -ellō | -ellā | -ellō | -ellīs | |||
| vocative | -elle | -ella | -ellum | -ellī | -ellae | -ella | |