“Latin Diminutives”

Multiple Possible Diminutive Forms

In many cases, there is more than one way to form a diminutive from a primitive:

  • Diminutives macellus (mac-ell-us) and macriculus (macr-i-cul-us) from primitive macer

  • Diminutive puellus (pu-ell-us) and puerulus (puer-ul-us) from primitive puer

The number of possible diminutives that can be created is quite large.  The diminutives that may be created from puella include the following:

  • puellula (puell-ul-a)

  • puellella (puell-ell-a)

  • puellilla (puell-ill-a)

  • puellulula (puell-ul-ul-a)

  • puellellula (puell-ell-ul-a)

  • puellillula (puell-ill-ul-a)

  • puellicula (puell-i-cul-a)

  • puellicella (puell-i-cell-a)

  • puellicilla (puell-i-cill-a)

  • puelliculula (puell-i-cul-ul-a)

  • puellicellula (puell-i-cell-ul-a)

  • puellicillula (puell-i-cill-ul-a)

Some other examples of diminutives that may be formed are:

  • speciēcula (speciē-cul-a) from speciēs

  • herōiculus (herō-i-cul-us) from herōs

  • vīculus (vī-cul-us) from vīs

  • Iūculus (I-ū-cul-us) and Ioviculus (Iov-i-cul-us) from Iuppiter (Iūpiter)

  • gruculus (gru-cul-us) and gruiculus (gru-i-cul-us) from grūs

  • iecinoriculum (iecinor-i-cul-um) and iecoriculum (iecor-i-cul-um) from iecur

  • seniculus (sen-i-cul-us) from senex

  • nivicula (niv-i-cul-a) from nix

  • itinericulum (itiner-i-cul-um) from iter

  • supellēcicula (supellēc-i-cul-a) from supellēx

  • Paegniolum (Paegni-ol-um) and Paegniculum (Paegni-cul-um) from Paegnium

  • Glyceriolum (Glyceri-ol-um) and Glycericulum (Glyceri-cul-um) from Glycerium

  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

Nōmina Dźminūtīva Latīna | Pāginae Latīnitātis | DIĒS GAUDIĪ

© 2007 Ian Andreas Miller.  All rights reserved.  Those statements refer to all of the original content on this page.