diminutive

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

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).^[1] First attested in 1398.

• enPR: dĭ-mĭn′yə-tĭv^[1]
• (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada, General Australian, Scotland) IPA^(key): /dɪˈmɪn.jə.tɪv/

  Audio (US):

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  Audio (General Australian):

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  (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /dəˈmən.jə.təv/

  (India) IPA^(key): /ɖɪˈmɪn.ju.tɪv/

• Rhymes: -ɪnjətɪv
• Hyphenation: di‧min‧u‧tive^[1]

diminutive (comparative more diminutive, superlative most diminutive)

1. Very small.

   Synonyms: lilliputian, tiny

   Antonyms: huge, gigantic

   • 1997, Thomas Pynchon, Mason & Dixon, New York: Henry Holt and Company, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 229:

     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..

   • 2011 October 20, Jamie Lillywhite, “Tottenham 1 - 0 Rubin Kazan”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     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,^[2]

     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.

   Antonym: augmentative

diminutive (plural diminutives)

1. (grammar) A word form expressing smallness, youth, unimportance, or endearment.

   Synonym: nomen deminutivum

   Antonym: augmentative

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

   • 1908, G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy:

     But I was frightfully fond of the universe and wanted to address it by a diminutive. I often did so; and it never seemed to mind.

   • 1916, Ernest Weekley, Surnames, page 287:

     When we come to occupative names, we are again confronted by crowds of diminutives.

   • 2024 June 20, Eva Corlett, “Fidlets, fingies and riding a doo: study sheds light on Antarctic English slang”, in The Guardian‎^[3]:

     The British use the term “fidlets”, a diminutive of “Fid”, which in turn is an acronym for Falkland Island Dependencies, the former name of the British Antarctic Survey.

• hypocorism
• pet form; pet name
• dimwit
• Category:English diminutive nouns, proper nouns, interjections, and suffixes
• Category:English endearing and childish terms

• “diminutive”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

diminutive

1. inflection of diminutiv:
   1. plural
   2. definite attributive

diminutive

1. plural of diminutiv

• IPA^(key): /di.mi.ny.tiv/
• Hyphenation: di‧mi‧nu‧tive

diminutive

1. feminine singular of diminutif

• IPA^(key): /diminuˈtiːvə/

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: di‧mi‧nu‧ti‧ve

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

• IPA^(key): /di.mi.nuˈti.ve/
• Rhymes: -ive
• Hyphenation: di‧mi‧nu‧tì‧ve

diminutìve

1. feminine plural of diminutìvo

diminutive

1. definite singular/plural of diminutiv

diminutive

1. definite singular/plural of diminutiv