-i

Meaning

1. (informal, morpheme) Forms pet names from given names, kinship terms, and terms of address.
2. (derogatory, endearing, informal, morpheme, sometimes) Forms nouns from adjectives and verbs denoting someone characterized by that word.
3. (informal, morpheme) Forms clippings.

Concepts

-y

Synonyms

-chen

-lein

-erl

Pronounced as (IPA)

[i]

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *-ij-, *-j- (diminutive suffix). Compare Dutch -je (diminutive suffix), English -y (diminutive suffix).