单词 | diminutive |
释义 | diminutive (once / 1640 pages) adjn Diminutive means small. A diminutive person is short and small. A diminutive word is a "cute" version of a word or name: for example, "duckling" is a diminutive of "duck" and Billy is a diminutive form of the name William. A diminutive name or word is formed from another by the addition of a suffix expressing smallness in size: a booklet is a small book, a dinette is a small version of a dining set. The adjective diminutive descends from Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin dīminūtīvus, from Latin dēminuere "to lessen." WORD FAMILYdiminutive: diminutively, diminutiveness, diminutives USAGE EXAMPLESMarisa, from her diminutive angle, captured someone who appeared solid, tall and ready to move forward. Salon(Dec 25, 2016) In 2011, Chelsea’s diminutive attacker Eden Hazard complained that he was “three or five centimetres” too short in the game. The Guardian(Dec 21, 2016) Diminutive New Zealand man who inspired many by defying the brittle bones he was born with and pursuing a life filled with rigorous outdoor adventures. Seattle Times(Dec 14, 2016) 1adj very small diminutive in stature Syn bantam, flyspeck, lilliputian, midget, petite, tiny little, small limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent 2n a word that is formed with a suffix (such as -let or -kin) to indicate smallness Hyper word a unit of language that native speakers can identify |
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