Diminutive

How to spell diminutive

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce diminutive

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does diminutive mean?

1. adjectiveExtremely or unusually small in size.
2. nounA word or suffix that conveys smallness, youth, or affection, such as 'piglet' or 'Johnny'.

Diminutive in a sentence

• adjective

  The cottage had a diminutive kitchen that barely fit two people.

• noun

  In Spanish, the suffix -ito forms a diminutive that signals something small.

• adjective

  Despite her diminutive stature, she dominated the basketball court.

• noun

  The name 'Tommy' is a diminutive of 'Thomas'.

Where does diminutive come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin verb minuere, meaning 'to make smaller' or 'to lessen', which itself grew from minus, the comparative of parvus 'small'. From minuere came the medieval Latin diminutivus, a grammarian's term for a word form that expressed smallness or affection, such as a little version of a name. English took it in during the late 1300s by way of Old French, first as a grammatical label and then as an ordinary adjective meaning 'extremely small'. The same minuere root quietly feeds a whole family of English words, including 'diminish', 'minute' (the tiny portion of an hour), and even 'minor'. Remembering that buried minu, the 'lessening' core, helps explain the single m and the double-i pattern that trips writers up.

How the word is built

• di- (from Latin de-, down/away)
• minu (root minuere, to make smaller)
• -tive (adjective/noun suffix)