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diminutive

   Also found in: Medical, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.04 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
Adjective
1. very small; tiny
2. 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
Noun
Grammar a diminutive word or affix
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
Translations
diminutive [dɪˈmɪnjutɪv] adjdiminuto
n (LING) → diminutivo
diminutive [dɪˈmɪnjutɪv] adjminuscule, tout(e) petit(e)
n (Ling) → diminutif m
diminutive [dɪˈmɪnjutɪv] adjwinzig
diminutive [dɪˈmɪnjutɪv] adjminuscolo/a
n (LING) → diminutivo


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
At closer quarters the diminutive personage looked like a reduction of an ordinary-sized man, with a lofty brow bared for a moment by the raising of the hat, the great pepper-and salt full beard spread over the proportionally broad chest.
She had possession of the rocker, and she was busily engaged in sewing upon a diminutive pair of night-drawers.
It is extremely bad for the children when the father is too young; for in all animals whatsoever the parts of the young are imperfect, and are more likely to be productive of females than males, and diminutive also in size; the same thing of course necessarily holds true in men; as a proof of this you may see in those cities where the men and women usually marry very young, the people in general are very small and ill framed; in child-birth also the women suffer more, and many of them die.
 
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