Morpheme
-elle
Type
suffix
Denotation
diminutive suffix
Etymology
French -elle; Old French -ele; Latin -ella, from -ellus, variant of -ulus from rebracketing of diminutives (e.g. libellus from liber + -lus, fēmella from fēmina + -la) and diminutives of diminutives (porcellus from porculus + -lus), from -lus
Evidence
antisalmonellal, chandelle, Chlorellaceae, Coccinellidae, Coccinellinae, Coccinellini, crenelle, crenellation, cupellate, demoiselle, -ellaceae, -ellal, -ellate, -ellidae, -ellinae, -ellini, -elloses, -ellosis, -ellous, hirtellous, Passerellidae, salmonellal, salmonelloses, salmonellosis, scepterellate, tourelle
See Also
-ac(u)le [-acule, -acle], -c(u)le [-cule, -cle], -cula, -culae, -culum, -culus, -culi, -cello, -celli, -ouche, -ula, -ula, -ulae, -(u)le [-ule, -le], -ulum, -ulus, -uli, -ulo, -ellus, -ellum
