Diminutives

§197 bDECLENSIONRule of Natural Gender.—Nouns denoting male persons are masculine, nouns denoting female persons are feminine. Thus, ὁ ναύτης seaman, ὁ στρατιώτης soldier, ἡ γυνή woman, ἡ κόρη mai…

§199 dDECLENSIONGender of Sexless Objects.—The gender of most nouns denoting sexless objects has to be learned by the endings (211, 228, 255) and by observation. The following general rules should…

§§852–856DIMINUTIVESDiminutives are denominatives formed from the stems of substantives by various secondary suffixes. 1. ιο (nom. -ιο-ν, neut.): παιδ-ίο-ν little child (παῖς, παιδ-ός), ὀρνῑ́θ-ιο-ν sm…

§859. 5, 10LIST OF NOUN SUFFIXESVOWEL SUFFIXES 1. ο: nom. -ο-ς masc., fem., -ο-ν neut. A common suffix in primitives denoting persons (usually male agents) or things (often abstracts). ἀρχ-ό-ς leader from ἄρχ-ω l…

§861. 19LIST OF NOUN SUFFIXESSUFFIXES WITH NASALS (μ, ν) 1. μο, μᾱ (nom. μο-ς; -μᾰ and -μη): primary, in substantives denoting actions or abstract ideas (840 a. 5-7), and in some concretes: χῡ-μό-ς juice (χέω …

§862LIST OF NOUN SUFFIXESSUFFIXES WITH LABIALS (π, φ) 1. οπ: primary, in σκόλ-οψ stake, pale (σκάλλω stir up; split?).—2. ωπ: primary, in κών-ωψ gnat.—3. φο, φᾱ (rare): primary, in κρότ-αφοι the temples, κ…

§863 b 16LIST OF NOUN SUFFIXESSUFFIXES WITH DENTALS (τ, δ, θ) a. Suffixes with τ. 1. τ: primary, at the end of stems, as ἀ-γνώς, ἀ-γνῶ-τ-ος unknown (γι-γνώ-σκω know). 2. το, τᾱ: primary, in verbal adjectives in…

§864. 2, 3LIST OF NOUN SUFFIXESSUFFIXES WITH PALATALS (κ, γ, χ) 1. κο, κᾱ: primary (rare), in θή-κη box (τί-θη-μι place); secondary, in adjectives (858.6).—ακο (rare): primary, in μαλ-ακό-ς soft (cp. Lat. mollis…

§855DIMINUTIVESSome words, especially such as denote parts of the body, are diminutive in form, but not in meaning; as κρᾱνίον skull, θηρίον beast ( = θήρ), πεδίον plain (πέδον ground), all in Ho…

§856DIMINUTIVESDiminutives may express affection, familiarity, daintiness, and sometimes pity or contempt (cp. dar-ling, lord-ling). See the examples under 852, and also πατρ-ίδιον daddy (πατήρ),…