diminutive

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   very small

   Diminutive in stature.

2. 2
   adj

   Very small.

   Mrs. Washington ("Oh, la, call me Martha, Boys") is a diminutive woman with a cheerful rather than happy air, who seems to bustle even when standing still..

3. 3
   noun

   A word form expressing smallness, youth, unimportance, or endearment.

   Booklet, the diminutive of book, means ‘small book’.

Inherited from Middle English diminutif, derived from Old French diminutif, derived from Latin dīminutīv|us, ~a, ~um (adjective), from dīminūt|us, ~a, ~um (participle), perfect passive participle of dīmin|uō, ~uere, ~uī, ~ūtum (verb). First attested in 1398.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
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