diminutive

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See also: Diminutive

English

WOTD – 8 April 2009

Alternative forms

Etymology

Derived from Middle French diminutif (1398), from Latin dīminutīvum (an alternative form of dēminutīvum), from dēminuō (“diminish”).

Pronunciation

Adjective

diminutive (comparative more diminutive, superlative most diminutive)

  1. Very small.
    Synonyms: lilliputian, tiny
    Antonyms: huge, gigantic
    • 1997, Thomas Pynchon, Mason & Dixon, New York: Henry Holt and Company, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 229:
      Mrs. Washington ("Oh, la, call me Martha, Boys") is a diminutive woman with a cheerful rather than happy air, who seems to bustle even when standing still..
    • 2011 October 20, Jamie Lillywhite, “Tottenham 1 - 0 Rubin Kazan”, in BBC Sport‎:
      Roman Sharonov rose unchallenged to head a corner wide, while diminutive winger Gokdeniz Karadeniz ghosted in with a diving header from the edge of the six-yard box that was acrobatically kept out by Gomes.
  2. (obsolete) Serving to diminish.
    • 1711, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, Characteristicks of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times, 1714 edition republished by Gregg International Publishers, 1968, Volume 3, Miscellany 3, Chapter 2, p. 175,
      They cou’d, perhaps, even embrace POVERTY contentedly, rather than submit to any thing diminutive either of their inward Freedom or national Liberty.
  3. (grammar) Of or pertaining to, or creating a word form expressing smallness, youth, unimportance, or endearment.
    Antonym: augmentative

Translations

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Noun

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Wikipedia

diminutive (plural diminutives)

  1. (grammar) A word form expressing smallness, youth, unimportance, or endearment.
    Synonyms: nomen deminutivum, pet form
    Antonym: augmentative
    Booklet, the diminutive of book, means ‘small book’.
    • 1908, G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy:
      But I was frightfully fond of the universe and wanted to address it by a diminutive. I often did so; and it never seemed to mind.
    • 1916, Ernest Weekley, Surnames, page 287:
      When we come to occupative names, we are again confronted by crowds of diminutives.

Translations

Derived terms

See also

Danish

Adjective

diminutive

  1. definite of diminutiv
  2. plural of diminutiv

French

Adjective

diminutive

  1. feminine singular of diminutif

German

Pronunciation

Adjective

diminutive

  1. inflection of diminutiv:
    1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
    2. strong nominative/accusative plural
    3. weak nominative all-gender singular
    4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

Adjective

diminutive

  1. feminine plural of diminutivo

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

diminutive

  1. definite singular/plural of diminutiv

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

diminutive

  1. definite singular/plural of diminutiv
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