-ette en · X · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /-ɛt/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tosder.? Latin -ittus Old French -ettebor. Middle English -ette English -ette Inherited from Middle English -ette, borrowed from Old French -ette, from Latin -ittus.
Meanings
-
(diminutive, morpheme) Used to form nouns meaning a smaller form of something.
disk + -ette → diskette
cigar + -ette → cigarette
kitchen + -ette → kitchenette
-
(morpheme) Used to form nouns meaning or implying the female equivalent of.
ranger + -ette → Rangerette
drum major + -ette → drum majorette
smurf + -ette → Smurfette
bachelor + -ette → bachelorette
-
(morpheme) Used to form nouns meaning an imitation or substitute of something.
leather + -ette → leatherette
-
(Polari, morpheme) Used to form nouns with a Polari context or an association with gay subculture.
You may have vada'd one of our tiny bijou masterpiecettes, heartface.
1967, Barry Took, Marty Feldman, “Gaslight Son of Flicker”, in Round the Horne, spoken by Sandy (Kenneth Williams):'Shame, eh, my little cherry? I was really bonar for him and all. It'll be a lonely old arthur for me tonight as usual. Ah well, let's have another little drinkette then, shall we? And perhaps, Poppett,' he sighed histrionically. 'I'll learn to keep my queeny old polari for them what appreciates it. Or for them what admints^([sic – meaning admits]) it,'
2002, Gilda O'Neill, The Sins Of Their Fathers (Eastend Trilogy; 1):
Antonyms
he- (antonym(s) of “female affix”) · macro- (antonym(s) of “diminutive”) · great (antonym(s) of “diminutive”) · mega- (antonym(s) of “diminutive”) · ultra- (antonym(s) of “diminutive”) · supra- (antonym(s) of “diminutive”) · hyper- (antonym(s) of “diminutive”) · super- (antonym(s) of “diminutive”) · over- (antonym(s) of “diminutive”) · -zilla (antonym(s) of “diminutive”) · giga- (antonym(s) of “diminutive”) · arch- (antonym(s) of “diminutive”) · grand (antonym(s) of “diminutive”) · uber- (antonym(s) of “diminutive”)
Synonyms
mini- · -ess · -ee · -kin · -y · -cule · -ule · -cule · -let · -ress · nano- · mini- · -le · nano- · -ling · -icle · -ole · -ee · -trix · micro- · -ole · -el · -ie · -a · micro- · -et · she- · -ine · -ule · -icle · -y