Morpheme
-il(l)(e) [-il, -ill, -ille]
Type
suffix
Denotation
diminutive suffix
Etymology
(1) Italian -ello; Latin -ellus, from rebracketing of diminutives (e.g. libellus from liber + -lus, fēmella from fēmina + -la) and diminutives of diminutives (porcellus from porculus + -lus), variant of -ulus; (2) sometimes via French -ille; Latin -illum or -illa, from -illus, from rebracketing of diminutive suffix -lus
Evidence
archil, aspergil, aspergill, Aspergillaceae, Aspergillago, aspergilli, aspergillia, aspergilliform, aspergillium, aspergilloma, aspergillosis, aspergillus, bulbil, codicil, codicillary, fibril, nonpupillary, orchil, peripupillary, pupil, pupilar, pupilary, pupillage, pupillarity, pupillary, pupille, pupilles
See Also
-ac(u)le [-acule, -acle], -cula, -culae, -culum, -cula, -culus, -culi, -cello, -celli, -cel(l) [-cel, -cell], -ouche, -ula, -ula, -ulae, -(u)le [-ule, -le], -ulum, -ulus, -uli, -ulo
Homographs
il-, il-, -(i)l(e) [-ile, -il, -le], -il(e) [-ile, -il], Il(l) [Ill, Il]
