A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a
slighter degree of its root meaning, to convey the smallness of the
object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or
endearment. A diminutive form (abbreviated DIM) is a word-formation
device used to express such meanings. In many languages, such forms
can be translated as "little" and diminutives can also be formed as
multi-word constructions such as "Tiny Tim". Diminutives are often
employed as nicknames and pet names when speaking to small children
and when expressing extreme tenderness and intimacy to an adult. The
opposite of the diminutive form is the augmentative. Beyond the
diminutive form of a single word, a diminutive can be a multi-word
name, such as "Tiny Tim" or "Little Dorrit".In many languages,
formation of diminutives by adding suffixes is a productive part of
the language. For example, in Spanish gordo can be a nickname for
someone who is overweight, and by adding an ito suffix, it becomes
gordito which is more affectionate. A double diminutive (example in
Polish: dzwon â†' dzwonek â†' dzwoneczek; example in Italian: casa â†'
casetta â†' casettina) is a diminutive form with two diminutive
suffixes rather than one. While many languages apply a grammatical
diminutive to nouns, a few â€" including Slovak, Dutch, Spanish,
Latin, Polish, Macedonian, Czech, Russian and Estonian â€" also use it
for adjectives (in Polish: sÅ‚odki â†' sÅ‚odziutki â†' sÅ‚odziuteÅ„ki)
and even other parts of speech (Ukrainian Ñ Ð¿Ð°Ñ‚Ð¸ â†' Ñ Ð¿Ð°Ñ‚ÐºÐ¸
â†' Ñ Ð¿Ð°Ñ‚Ð¾Ð½ÑŒÐºÐ¸ â€" to sleep). In English the alteration of
meaning is often conveyed through clipping, making the words shorter
and more colloquial. Diminutives formed by adding affixes in other
languages are often longer and (as colloquial) not necessarily
understood.Diminutives in isolating languages may grammaticalize
strategies other than suffixes or prefixes. In Mandarin Chinese, for
example, other than the nominal prefix å° xiÇŽo and nominal suffixes
å„¿/å…' -r and å­ -zi, reduplication is a productive strategy, e.g.,
舅 â†' 舅舅 and 看 â†' 看看. In formal Mandarin usage, the use
of diminutives is relatively infrequent, as they tend to be considered
to be rather colloquial than formal. Some Wu Chinese dialects use a
tonal affix for nominal diminutives; that is, diminutives are formed
by changing the tone of the word.In some contexts, diminutives are
also employed in a pejorative sense to denote that someone or
something is weak or childish. For example, one of the last Western
Roman emperors was Romulus Augustus, but his name was diminuted to
"Romulus Augustulus" to express his powerlessness. Diminutive Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter