Diminutive
Diminutive
Diminutive (/dɪˈmɪnjʊtɪv/), from the Latin diminutivus, is a linguistic term referring to a word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment.
Etymology
The term diminutive is derived from the Latin word diminutivus, which itself is a combination of diminuere meaning "to lessen" and the suffix -tivus which is used to form adjectives from verbs.
Related Terms
- Affix: An additional element placed at the beginning or end of a root, stem, or word, or in the body of a word, to modify its meaning.
- Suffix: A morpheme added at the end of a word to form a derivative.
- Morphology (linguistics): The study of words, how they are formed, and their relationship to other words in the same language.
- Semantics: The branch of linguistics and logic concerned with meaning.
Usage in Medicine
In medical terminology, a diminutive can be used to denote a smaller version of a word. For example, the term polypus refers to a polyp, while polypulus would refer to a small polyp.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Diminutive
- Wikipedia's article - Diminutive
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