267. The suffixes #-lo-#, #-lā-#, or #-cu-lo-#, #-cu-lā-#, are used to
form substantives with a _Diminutive_ meaning. Diminutives may denote:
268. (1.) Actual smallness: as, #secūricula#, _a little hatchet_;
#ventulus#, _a bit of wind_; #spēcula#, _a ray of hope_.
269. (2.) Imputed smallness: implying, (_a._) admiration, affection, or
compassion; (_b._) contempt or irony. This diminutive, which usually
serves to add point to sentences themselves of a playful, patronizing,
or slurring character, is very hard to translate; _little_ and _small_
are often inadequate; _old_ or _poor_ will sometimes do; but usually
recourse must be had to free translations adapted to the particular
context: as,
#ōrātiuncula#, _a gem of a speech_, _an attempt at a speech_;
#mātercula#, _an anxious mother_, _poor mamma_, _dear mamma_;
#lectulus#, _one’s own little bed_; #ānellus aureolus#, _a gay gold
ring_; #Graeculī#, _our Greek cousins_, _the good people in Greece_;
#Graeculus#, _a regular Greek_, _your gentleman from Greece_;
#muliercula#, _a pretty girl_, _a lady gay_, _one of the gentler sex_,
_a mere woman_, _an unprotected female_, _a maiden all forlorn_;
#lacrimula#, _a wee tear_, _a crocodile tear_; #volpēcula#, _Master
Reynard_, _dan Russel_; #tōnstrīcula#, _a common barber girl_;
#popellus#, _rabble_; #nummulī#, _filthy lucre_; #mercēdula#, _an
apology for pay_; #ratiuncula#, _a first rate reason_; #caupōnula#, _a
low tavern_.
270. Some diminutives have entirely lost the diminutive meaning: as,
#puella#, _girl_, not necessarily _little girl_; others have changed
their original meaning: as, #avunculus#, _uncle_, originally
_grandpapa_; #anguīlla#, _eel_, originally _little snake_. Some words
are only found in the diminutive form: as, #stēlla#, _star_ (#*ster-#).
Diminutives usually have the gender of their primitives; exceptions are
rare: as, #rāna#, _frog_, #F.#, #rānunculus#, _tadpole_, #M.#
[Erratum:
270 ... #F.# ... #M.#
anomalous boldface in original]
(1.) #-lo-# (N., M. #-lu-s#, Ne. #-lu-m#), #-lā-# (N. #-la#).
271. Stems in #-o-#, #-ā-#, or a mute (#-g-#, #-c-#, #-d-#, or #-t-#),
take #-lo-# or #-lā-#, which is usually preceded by #-u-# (202).
#hortu-lo-#, N. #hortu-lu-s#, _little garden_ (#horto-#); #oppidu-lu-m#,
_hamlet_ (#oppido-#); #serru-lā-#, N. #serru-la#, _little saw_
(#serrā-#); #rēg-ulu-s#, _chieftain_ (#rēg-#); #vōc-ula#, _a bit of a
voice_ (#vōc-#); #calc-ulu-s#, _pebble_ (#calci-#); #nepōt-ulu-s#, _a
grandson dear_ (#nepōt-#); #aetāt-ula#, _tender age_ (#aetāt-#).
272. Stems in #-eo-#, #-io-#, or #-vo-#, retain #-o-# before #-lo-#;
stems in #-eā-#, #-iā-#, or #-vā-#, also have #-o-# before #-lā-#.
#alveo-lo-#, N. #alveo-lu-s#, _little tray_ (#alveo-#); #gladio-lu-s#,
_little sword_ (#gladio-#); #servo-lu-s#, _little slave_ (#servo-#);
#nauseo-lā-#, N. #nauseo-la#, _a slight squeamishness_ (#nauseā-#);
#bēstio-la#, _little animal_ (#bēstiā-#); #fīlio-la#, _little daughter_
(#fīliā-#).
273. Stems in #-lo-#, #-ro-#, #-no-#, and #-lā-#, #-rā-#, #-nā-#,
commonly drop the stem vowel and assimilate #-r-# or #-n-# to #-l-#:
thus: #-el-lo-#, #-el-lā-# (111, _b_; 166, 6, 7).
#catel-lo-#, for #*catululo-#, N. #catel-lu-s#, _puppy_ (#catulo-#);
#agel-lu-s#, _little field_ (#agro-#); #asel-lu-s#, _donkey_ (#asino-#);
#fābel-lā-#, N. #fābel-la#, _short story_ (#fābulā-#); #umbel-la#,
_sunshade_ (#umbrā-#); #pāgel-la#, _short page_ (#pāginā-#). A few words
are not thus changed: #pueru-lo-#, N. #pueru-lu-s#, _poor boy_
(#puero-#), as well as #puel-lu-s#.
274. Another vowel than #e# (172, 3) appears in: #Hispāl-lu-s#
(#Hispāno-#), #Messāl-la# (#Messānā-#), proper names; #corōl-la#,
_chaplet_ (#corōnā-#); #ūl-lu-s#, _the least one_, _any at all_
(#ūno-#); #Sūl-la# (#Sūrā-#), proper name; #lapil-lu-s#, for
#*lapid-lu-s#, _pebble_ (#lapid-#). Also #homul-lu-s#, _son of the dust_
(#homon-#).
[Erratum:
273 ... #-el-lo-#, #-el-lā-# (111, _b_; 166, 6, 7).
111; _b_;]
(2.) #-cu-lo-# (N., M. #-cu-lu-s#, Ne. #-cu-lu-m#), #-cu-lā-#
(N. #-cu-la#).
275. Stems in a continuous sound (#-l-#, #-n-#, #-r-#, or #-s-#), or in
#-i-#, #-u-#, or #-ē-#, usually take #-cu-lo-# or #-cu-lā-#.
#sermūn-culo-#, N. #sermūn-culu-s#, _small-talk_ (#sermōn-#);
#virgun-culā-#, N. #virgun-cula#, _little maid_ (#virgon-#);
#homun-culu-s#, _son of earth_ (#homon-#); #arbus-cula#, _tiny tree_
(#arbos-#); #cor-culu-m#, _heart of hearts_ (#cord-#, 170, 12);
#igni-culu-s#, _spark_ (#igni-#); #ani-cula#, _grandam_ (#anu-#);
#diē-cula#, _brief day_ (#diē-#); analogously, #volpē-cula# (_vixen_),
_little fox_ (#*volpē-#). Rarely with #ī#: #canī-cula#, _little dog_
(#can-#).
276. #-un-culo-#, N. #-un-culu-s#: #av-unculo-#, N. #av-unculu-s#,
_uncle_ (#avo-#); #rān-unculu-s#, _tadpole_ (#rānā-#). #-un-culā-#, N.
#-un-cula#: #dom-unculā-#, N. #dom-uncula#, _little house_ (#domo-#).
277. Diminutives are sometimes formed from other diminutives:
#cistel-lu-la#, _casket_ (#cistel-la#, #cistu-la#, #cistā-#).
278. A few other suffixes have a diminutive meaning: as, #-ciōn-#,
#-leo-#, #-astro-#, #-ttā-#: #homun-ciō#, _manikin_, _child of dust_
(#homon-#); #acu-leu-s#, _sting_ (#acu-#); #Antōni-aster#, _regular
little Antony_; #pīn-aster#, _bastard pine_; #Iūli-tta#, _Juliet_
(#Iūliā-#); #Pōlli-tta#, _little Polla_ (#Pōllā-#).