diminutive

See also: Diminutive

English
WOTD – 8 April 2009

Alternative forms
  • (noun, grammar): dim. (abbreviation)

Etymology

From Middle French diminutif (1398), from Latin diminutivum, from deminuere (“diminish”).

Pronunciation
  • (UK, US) IPA(key): /dɪˈmɪn.jʊ.tɪv/, /dəˈmɪn.jə.tɪv/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Audio (AU)(file)

Adjective

diminutive (comparative more diminutive, superlative most diminutive)

  1. Very small.
    • 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.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

Noun

diminutive (plural diminutives)

  1. (grammar) A word form expressing smallness, youth, unimportance, or endearment.
    Booklet, the diminutive of book, means ‘small book’.
    • 1916, Ernest Weekley, Surnames (page 287)
      When we come to occupative names, we are again confronted by crowds of diminutives.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Translations

Further reading

Danish

Adjective

diminutive

  1. definite of diminutiv
  2. plural of diminutiv

French

Adjective

diminutive

  1. feminine singular of diminutif

German

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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