Adjacent Words

Diminutive definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DIMINUTIVE, a. Small; little; narrow; contracted; as a diminutive race of men or other animals; a diminutive thought.
DIMINUTIVE, n. In grammar, a word formed from another word, usually an appellative or generic term, to express a little thing of the kind; as, in Latin, lapillus, a little stone, from lapis; cellula, a little cell, from cella, a cell; in French, maisonnette, a little house, from maison, a house; in English, manikin, a little man, from man.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: very small; "diminutive in stature"; "a lilliputian chest of drawers"; "her petite figure"; "tiny feet"; "the flyspeck nation of Bahrain moved toward democracy" [syn: bantam, diminutive, lilliputian, midget, petite, tiny, flyspeck] n
1: a word that is formed with a suffix (such as -let or -kin) to indicate smallness

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English diminutif, from Medieval Latin diminutivum, alteration of Late Latin deminutivum, from neuter of deminutivus, adjective, from deminutus, past participle of deminuere Date: 14th century 1. a diminutive word, affix, or name 2. a diminutive individual II. adjective Date: 14th century 1. indicating small size and sometimes the state or quality of being familiarly known, lovable, pitiable, or contemptible — used of affixes (as -ette, -kin, -ling) and of words formed with them (as kitchenette, manikin, duckling), of clipped forms (as Jim), and of altered forms (as Peggy); compare augmentative 2. exceptionally or notably small ; tiny <a diminutive performer> Synonyms: see small • diminutively adverb • diminutiveness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 remarkably small; tiny. 2 Gram. (of a word or suffix) implying smallness, either actual or imputed in token of affection, scorn, etc. (e.g. -let, -kins). --n. Gram. a diminutive word or suffix. Derivatives: diminutival adj. diminutively adv. diminutiveness n. Etymology: ME f. OF diminutif, -ive f. LL diminutivus (as DIMINISH)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Diminutive Di*min"u*tive, a. [Cf. L. deminutivus, F. diminutif.] 1. Below the average size; very small; little. 2. Expressing diminution; as, a diminutive word. 3. Tending to diminish. [R.] Diminutive of liberty. --Shaftesbury.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Diminutive Di*min"u*tive, n. 1. Something of very small size or value; an insignificant thing. Such water flies, diminutives of nature. --Shak. 2. (Gram.) A derivative from a noun, denoting a small or a young object of the same kind with that denoted by the primitive; as, gosling, eaglet, lambkin. Babyisms and dear diminutives. --Tennyson. Note: The word sometimes denotes a derivative verb which expresses a diminutive or petty form of the action, as scribble.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(diminutives) 1. A diminutive person or object is very small. She noticed a diminutive figure standing at the entrance. = tiny ADJ: usu ADJ n 2. A diminutive is an informal form of a name. For example, 'Jim' and 'Jimmy' are diminutives of 'James'. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Little, small, dwarfish, tiny, puny, pygmy, pygmean, contracted, minute, of small size.

Moby Thesaurus

Lilliputian, affectionate name, baby, baby-sized, bantam, banty, button, byname, chit, cognomen, cognominal, compact, duodecimo, elfin, epithetic, featherweight, fingerling, formal, handy, honorific, hypocoristic, in name only, infinitesimal, lightweight, lilliputian, little, micro, microscopic, midget, mini, miniature, miniaturized, minikin, minimal, minnow, minny, minuscule, minute, mouse, nickname, nominal, nominative, nubbin, peewee, pet name, petite, pocket, pocket-sized, pony, pygmy, quasi, runt, self-called, self-christened, self-styled, shrimp, slip, small, small fry, small-scale, snip, snippet, so-called, sobriquet, soi-disant, subminiature, teensy-weensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, tit, titular, toy, twelvemo, undersized, vest-pocket, wart, wee, weeny, wisp, would-be