“Latin Diminutives”

Third Declension, OU-Stems

A primitive with a stem ending with -ou may form a diminutive by changing the -ou to -ō or -ū, and then adding cul-, cell-, or cill- to the modified stem.

• Diminutives bōculus (b-ō-cul-us) and būculus (b-ū-cul-us) from primitive bōs (stem bou-)

• Diminutives bōcula (b-ō-cul-a) and būcula (b-ū-cul-a) from primitive bōs (stem bou-)

     It seems that whether to change the -ou to -ō or -ū depends on whether the -ou changes to -ō or -ū in any of the inflected forms of the word.  The diminutive bōculus is analogous to bōbus (-ou became -ō), and the diminutive būculus is analogous to būbus (-ou became -ū).  So, a possible diminutive of Iūpiter (stem Iou-) is Iūculus (I-ū-cul-us) because of the -ou became -ū in Iūpiter.

1. Diminutives and Diminutive Bases
2. General Rules for Diminutives in Latin
3. Procedures for Forming Diminutives
   1. First Declension
   2. Second Declension
   3. Third Declension, I- and Ī-Stems
   4. Third Declension, Mute Consonant Stems
   5. Third Declension, L-, R-, S-Stems
   6. Third Declension, N-Stems
   7. Third Declension, OU-Stems
   8. Third Declension, Ū-Stems
   9. Third-Declension, Any Stem
   10. Third Declension, Irregular Diminutives
   11. Fourth Declension
   12. Fifth Declension
   13. Fifth Declension, Irregular Diminutives
   14. Substituting Diminutive Bases
   15. Diminutives Bases Side by Side
4. Multiple Possible Diminutive Forms
5. Bibliography

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