deminutivus

Forms

dēminutīvus (feminine dēminutīva, neuter dēminutīvum); first/second-declension adjective^[1] Also spelled dīminūtīvus, after dīminuō; most of its descendants go back to this form.^[2][3][1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin dēminuō (“to lessen, diminish”) + -īvus.^[1][4][2] The verb is made of dē- and minuō (“to lessen”),^[5] which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *minu-je/o- (“to lessen”) and Proto-Indo-European *mi-n(e)-h₁- (“to make less”).^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tertullian is the first to use it, in the Apology.^[4][2][3] Lewis & Short and Georges take it there of a diminutive word, while Conte translates it as weakening or attenuating.^[4][2][7]

Semantic evolution

It became a term of the Late Latin grammarians, who call a diminutive noun nomen deminutivum or simply deminutivum;^[4][2] Diomedes uses it of conjunctions, Priscian of verbs.^[4][2] Vegetius has deminutivum vocabulum.^[2] Paul the Deacon's abridgement of Festus uses the neuter as a noun for a diminutive form.^[7]

Wiktionary also gives a mathematical sense, “deficient”.^[1] Through Old French and directly, the spelling diminutivus gave English diminutive,^[5] and Italian diminutivo goes back to it.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses it in the Apology.^[4][2][3]
• c. 310–380 AD – Donatus calls a diminutive noun nomen deminutivum.^[4][3]
• 6th century AD – Priscian speaks of diminutive verbs.^[2][3]
• late 14th century – English has diminutive in grammar.^[5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Lessening, weakening.^[2][7]
2. (grammar) Diminutive; as a noun, dēminūtīvum, a diminutive word.^[4][2][1]
3. (mathematics) Deficient.^[1]

Word family

• dēminutīvum

Related words

• dēminuō
• English diminutive

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
7. ^ a b c d Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier