Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,738,716,089 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

diminutive
(redirected from Diminutives)

   Also found in: Legal, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
di·min·u·tive  (d-mny-tv)
adj.
1. Extremely small in size; tiny. See Synonyms at small.
2. Grammar Of or being a suffix that indicates smallness or, by semantic extension, qualities such as youth, familiarity, affection, or contempt, as -let in booklet, -kin in lambkin, or -et in nymphet.
n.
1. Grammar A diminutive suffix, word, or name.
2. A very small person or thing.

[Middle English diminutif, from Old French, from Latin dmintvus, variant of dmintvus, from dmintus, past participle of dminuere, to lessen; see diminish.]

di·minu·tive·ly adv.
di·minu·tive·ness n.

diminutive [dɪˈmɪnjʊtɪv]
adj
1. very small; tiny
2. (Linguistics) Grammar
a.  denoting an affix added to a word to convey the meaning small or unimportant or to express affection, as for example the suffix -ette in French
b.  denoting a word formed by the addition of a diminutive affix
n
1. (Linguistics / Grammar) Grammar a diminutive word or affix
2. a tiny person or thing Compare (for senses 2, 3) augmentative
diminutival  [dɪˌmɪnjʊˈtaɪvəl] adj
diminutively  adv
diminutiveness  n
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.diminutive - a word that is formed with a suffix (such as -let or -kin) to indicate smallness
word - a unit of language that native speakers can identify; "words are the blocks from which sentences are made"; "he hardly said ten words all morning"
Adj.1.diminutive - very small; "diminutive in stature"; "a lilliputian chest of drawers"; "her petite figure"; "tiny feet"; "the flyspeck nation of Bahrain moved toward democracy"
little, small - limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent; "a little dining room"; "a little house"; "a small car"; "a little (or small) group"

diminutive
adjective small, little, tiny, minute, pocket(-sized), mini, wee, miniature, petite, midget, undersized, teeny-weeny, Lilliputian, bantam, teensy-weensy, pygmy or pigmy a diminutive figure stood at the entrance
big, great, giant, massive (informal), enormous, immense, jumbo (informal), gigantic, colossal, king-size
Translations
diminutive [dɪˈmɪnjʊtɪv]
A. ADJ
1. (= very small) → diminuto
2. (Ling) → diminutivo
B. N (Ling) → diminutivo m
diminutive [dɪˈmɪnjʊtɪv]
adj (= very small) → minuscule, tout(e) petit(e)
n (= shortened form) [word, name] → diminutif m
diminutive
adjwinzig, klein; (Gram) → diminutiv
n (Gram) → Verkleinerungsform f, → Diminutiv(um) nt; (of name)Kurzform f
diminutive [dɪˈmɪnjʊtɪv]
1. adj (frm) → minuto/a, minuscolo/a
2. n (Gram) → diminutivo

diminutive [dɪˈmɪnjʊtɪv]
1. adj (frm) → minuto/a, minuscolo/a
2. n (Gram) → diminutivo


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.