English

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Etymology

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From Middle English -let, -elet, from Old French -elet, a double diminutive from Old French -el + -et.

Suffix

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-let

  1. A diminutive suffix; for example:
    booklet, a small book
    applet, a small computer application
    owlet, a small (young) owl
    piglet, a small (young) pig
    manlet, a short man
  2. Piece; as in a suit of armor; for example:
    bracelet, the "arm piece" or "arm protector"
    gauntlet, the "glove piece" or "glove protector"
    epaulet, the "shoulder piece" or "shoulder protector"

Usage notes

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Alongside -ie / -y, -ling, and -ette, -let is one of the three most productive diminutive affixes in modern English. It is used almost exclusively with concrete nouns and (unusually for a diminutive) never with names. When used with objects, it generally denotes diminution only in size; when used with animals, it generally denotes young animals; when used with adult persons, it is generally depreciative, connoting pettiness and conveying contempt. When used to describe parts in a suit of armor and some other contexts it denotes a piece or component of the larger whole.

Derived terms

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See also

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References

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Anagrams

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Hungarian

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Etymology

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From -l (verb-forming suffix) +‎ -et (noun-forming suffix), created during the Hungarian language reform, which took place in the 18th–19th centuries. The neologists popularized it based on verbs ending in -l and further derived with -at/-et. [1]

Pronunciation

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Suffix

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-let

  1. (noun-forming suffix) Added to different parts of speech to form a noun.
    rész (part) + ‎-let → ‎részlet (detail)
    keres (to search) + ‎-let → ‎kereslet (demand (in economics))
    egy (one) + ‎-let → ‎egylet (society, association, club)

Usage notes

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  • (noun-forming suffix) Variants:
    -lat is added to back-vowel words
    -let is added to front-vowel words
  • Some nouns ending in -let do not belong in this category. The suffix -et is added after a stem-final -l, for example ötlet.

Derived terms

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ -let in Zaicz, Gábor (ed.). Etimológiai szótár: Magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete (‘Dictionary of Etymology: The origin of Hungarian words and affixes’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2006, →ISBN.  (See also its 2nd edition.)