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   diminutive

   /dɪˈmɪnjʊtɪv/

   adjective

   • 1. extremely or unusually small: "a diminutive figure dressed in black"
   • ▪ (of a word, name, or suffix) implying smallness, either actual or imputed to convey affection, scorn, etc. (e.g. teeny, -let, -kins).

   noun

   • 1. a diminutive word or suffix.
   • ▪ a shortened form of a name, typically used informally: "‘Nick’ is a diminutive of ‘Nicholas’"
   • ▪ a charge of the same form as an ordinary but of lesser size or width.

   Word Origin late Middle English (as a grammatical term): from Old French diminutif, -ive, from late Latin diminutivus, from Latin deminut- ‘diminished’, from the verb deminuere (see diminish).

   Derivatives

   • 1. diminutively adverb
   • 2. diminutiveness noun

   Scrabble Points: 16

   • D

     2

   • I

     1

   • M

     3

   • I

     1

   • N

     1

   • U

     1

   • T

     1

   • I

     1

   • V

     4

   • E

     1

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