di·min·u·tive
Audio Help [di-min-yuh-tiv] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
Audio Help [di-min-yuh-tiv] Pronunciation Key –adjective
–noun
| 1. | small; little; tiny: a diminutive building for a model-train layout. |
| 2. | Grammar. pertaining to or productive of a form denoting smallness, familiarity, affection, or triviality, as the suffix -let, in droplet from drop. |
| 3. | a small thing or person. |
| 4. | Grammar. a diminutive element or formation. |
| 5. | Heraldry. a charge, as an ordinary, smaller in length or breadth than the usual. |
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME < ML dīminūtīvus, equiv. to L dīminūt(us) lessened (for déminūtus; see diminution) + -īvus -ive
]
] —Related forms
di·min·u·tive·ly, adverb
di·min·u·tive·ness, noun
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
diminutive
To learn more about diminutive visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| di·min·u·tive
Audio Help (dĭ-mĭn'yə-tĭv) Pronunciation Key
adj.
n.
[Middle English diminutif, from Old French, from Latin dīminūtīvus, variant of dēminūtīvus, from dēminūtus, past participle of dēminuere, to lessen; see diminish.] di·min'u·tive·ly adv., di·min'u·tive·ness n. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
diminutive
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| diminutive | |
adjective | |
| 1. | very small; "diminutive in stature"; "a lilliputian chest of drawers"; "her petite figure"; "tiny feet"; "the flyspeck nation of Bahrain moved toward democracy" [syn: bantam] |
noun | |
| 1. | a word that is formed with a suffix (such as -let or -kin) to indicate smallness |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
diminutive [diˈminjutiv] adjective
very small
Example: a diminutive child
See also: diminutionExample: a diminutive child
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
diminutive
Aug*ment"a*tive\, n. (Gram.) A word which expresses with augmented force the idea or the properties of the term from which it is derived; as, dullard, one very dull. Opposed to diminutive. --Gibbs.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Diminutive
Di*min"u*tive\, a. [Cf. L. deminutivus, F. diminutif.]1. Below the average size; very small; little. 2. Expressing diminution; as, a diminutive word. 3. Tending to diminish. [R.] Diminutive of liberty. --Shaftesbury.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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