-ula

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ula"

Translingual

Etymology

From Latin -ula. Cognate with Proto-Germanic *-ilaz, whence no longer productive English -le (as in dimple and nozzle), Dutch -el, German -el.

Suffix

-ula

1. Used to form taxonomic names, usually of genera; small-.

Derived terms

Translingual terms suffixed with -ula

• See -ula at Wikispecies.

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *-lós

Proto-Italic *-elos

Latin -ulus

Latin -ulabor.

English -ula

Borrowed from Latin -ula. Doublet of -ule.

Suffix

-ula

1. Forming diminutive nouns.

   ‎marimba + ‎-ula → ‎marimbula

   ‎ameba + ‎-ula → ‎amebula

Usage notes

• The suffix is not very productive in English and most common in words directly borrowed from Latin.

Derived terms

English terms suffixed with -ula

Finnish

Etymology

-u +‎ -la

Suffix

-ula (front vowel harmony variant -ylä, linguistic notation -UlA)

1. Forms diminutive nouns.

Usage notes

• The suffix is productive. See, for instance, vempula.

Derived terms

Finnish terms suffixed with -ula

Latin

Etymology 1

Probably from Proto-Indo-European *-tlom, *-dʰlom, suffix forming instrumental nouns, with simplification of the suffix-initial stop when it came after another stop. However, the details of the development are debated.

More information

The words rēgula and tēgula are notable in showing a lengthened vowel relative to the base verbs regō and tegō. Sihler (1979) reconstructs *-dʰl- in rēgula and tēgula; in contrast, Nielsen (1998) reconstructs *-tl-, suggesting that the lengthened vowels are the result of Lachmann's Law before a sequence of originally voiced + voiceless stop (as in the participles rēctus and tēctus). As this would be expected to result in forms with voiceless stops (*rēcula and *tēcula), Nielsen proposes that either the voiced stop /g/ was reintroduced by analogy, or a phonetic change caused /k/ to be voiced when preceded by a long vowel and followed by /l/ across a morpheme boundary (*rēk-la, *tēk-la > *rēg-la, *tēg-la); this is supported by two additional proposed etymologies, *strāto-lo- > *strāk-lo- > *strāg-lo- > strāgulum and *trājak-kla > *trāk-la > *trāg-la > trāgula. (Voicing of a stop before /l/ in a heterosyllabic cluster might also be seen in neglego, and is argued by Sen 2015 to have occurred in pūblicus; in contrast, a voiceless stop can be found after a morpheme boundary in instrument nouns in -culum such as pōculum).

Alternatively, related to the suffix -ulus used to form some deverbal agent nouns such as gerulus, gerula.

Compare instrument nouns in -ulum.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /u.la/, [ʊɫ̪ä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /u.la/, [ulä] (stressed on the antepenult)

Suffix

-ula f (genitive -ulae); first declension

1. Noun suffix denoting instrument.

   ‎regō + ‎-ula → ‎rēgula

   ‎tegō + ‎-ula → ‎tēgula

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	-ula	-ulae
Genitive	-ulae	-ulārum
Dative	-ulae	-ulīs
Accusative	-ulam	-ulās
Ablative	-ulā	-ulīs
Vocative	-ula	-ulae

Derived terms

Latin terms suffixed with -ula

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• -ula: (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /u.la/, [ʊɫ̪ä]
• -ula: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /u.la/, [ulä]
• -ulā: (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /u.laː/, [ʊɫ̪äː]
• -ulā: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /u.la/, [ulä]

Suffix

-ula

1. inflection of -ulus:
   1. nominative/vocative feminine singular
   2. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural

Suffix

-ulā

1. ablative feminine singular of -ulus

References

• Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN

Polish

Etymology

Compare Russian -у́ля (-úlja).

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈu.la/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ula
• Syllabification: u‧la

Suffix

-ula f

1. forms feminine nouns, usually endearing

   ‎baba + ‎-ula → ‎babula

Declension

Declension of -ula

	singular	plural
nominative	-ula	-ule
genitive	-uli	-ul
dative	-uli	-ulom
accusative	-ulę	-ule
instrumental	-ulą	-ulami
locative	-uli	-ulach
vocative	-ulo	-ule

Derived terms

Polish terms suffixed with -ula

Further reading

• -ula in Polish dictionaries at PWN