diminutive
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diminutive
- /dɪˈmɪn.jə.tɪv/ Australia, Canada, US
- /dəˈmən.jə.təv/ New Zealand
- /dɪˈmɪn.ju.ə.tɪv/ nonstandard
Rhymes with -ɪnjətɪv
Where it comes from
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.
adjective more diminutive · most diminutive · dim.
-
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..
Similar: lilliputian, tiny · Opposite: huge, gigantic
- 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
-
Of or pertaining to, or creating a word form expressing smallness, youth, unimportance, or endearment.
Opposite: augmentative
noun diminutives · dim.
-
A word form expressing smallness, youth, unimportance, or endearment.
Booklet, the diminutive of book, means ‘small book’.
Similar: nomen deminutivum · Opposite: augmentative
- The smallest, thinnest version of a traditional heraldic ordinary ("geometric shape on a shield"), often used to represent multiple instances of a charge or to modify a main, central, and larger charge; not itself modifiable.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: tiny, little, petite, lilliputian, small, bantam, midget, minuscule, miniscule, short, lowercase, lower-case, wee, teeny-tiny, supersmall, inky-dinky
Translations
Every language
adj very small
| Español | diminuto |
|---|---|
| Português | minúsculo, diminuto |
| Français | minuscule |
| Deutsch | winzig, diminutiv |
| Italiano | minuscolo |
| Ελληνικά | μικροσκοπικός mikroskopikós |
| Română | diminutiv |
| Русский | кро́хотный króxotnyj, миниатю́рный miniatjúrnyj |
| Tiếng Việt | nhỏ xíu |
| العربية | ضَئِيل ḍaʔīl |
adj serving to diminish
| Español | diminutivo |
|---|---|
| Português | diminutivo, diminuidor |
| Deutsch | verkleinernd |
| Italiano | diminutivo |
| Ελληνικά | μειωτικός meiotikós |
| Русский | уменьши́тельный umenʹšítelʹnyj |
| العربية | تَصْغِيرِيّ taṣḡīriyy |
adj grammar
| Español | diminutivo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 지소사 jisosa |
| 日本語 | 指小辞 shishōji |
| 中文 | 指小詞 /指小词 zhǐxiǎocí, 小稱詞 /小称词 xiǎochēngcí |
| Português | diminutivo |
| Français | diminutif |
| Deutsch | diminutiv |
| Ελληνικά | υποκοριστικός ypokoristikós |
| Русский | уменьши́тельный umenʹšítelʹnyj, уменьши́тельно-ласка́тельный umenʹšítelʹno-laskátelʹnyj, диминути́вный diminutívnyj, деминути́вный deminutívnyj |
| Tiếng Việt | giảm kích |
| العربية | تَصْغِيرِيّ taṣḡīriyy |
noun grammar: word form expressing smallness
| Español | diminutivo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 지소사 jisosa |
| 日本語 | 指小辞 shishōji |
| 中文 | 指小詞 /指小词 zhǐxiǎocí, 小稱詞 /小称词 xiǎochēngcí |
| Português | diminutivo |
| Français | diminutif |
| Deutsch | Diminutiv, Diminutivum, Verkleinerungsform, Verkleinerungswort, Diminutivbildung, Deminutiv |
| Italiano | diminutivo |
| Ελληνικά | υποκοριστικό ypokoristikó |
| Română | diminutiv |
| Русский | диминути́в diminutív, уменьши́тельное сло́во umenʹšítelʹnoje slóvo, уменьши́тельно-ласка́тельное сло́во umenʹšítelʹno-laskátelʹnoje slóvo, деминути́в deminutív |
| العربية | تَصْغِير taṣḡīr |
| עברית | צורת הקטנה tsurát-haktaná |
Talk about this word "diminutive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/diminutive. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. diminutive. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/diminutive "diminutive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/diminutive.Cite this
@misc{diminutive_2026,
title = {diminutive},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/diminutive},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
