different between diminutive vs puny

English

Alternative forms

• (noun, grammar): dim. (abbreviation)

Etymology

From Middle French diminutif (1398), from Latin diminutivum, from d?minu? (“diminish”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /d??m?n.j?.t?v/, /d??m?n.j?.t?v/

Adjective

diminutive (comparative more diminutive, superlative most diminutive)

1. Very small.

   Synonyms: lilliputian, tiny

   Antonyms: huge, gigantic
2. (obsolete) Serving to diminish.
   • 1711, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, Characteristicks of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times, 1714 edition republished by Gregg International Publishers, 1968, Volume 3, Miscellany 3, Chapter 2, p. 175,^[2]

     They cou’d, perhaps, even embrace POVERTY contentedly, rather than submit to any thing diminutive either of their inward Freedom or national Liberty.

3. (grammar) Of or pertaining to, or creating a word form expressing smallness, youth, unimportance, or endearment.

   Antonym: augmentative

Translations

Noun

diminutive (plural diminutives)

1. (grammar) A word form expressing smallness, youth, unimportance, or endearment.

   Synonyms: nomen deminutivum, pet form

   Antonym: augmentative

Translations

Related terms

• diminish
• diminution
• diminutization
• diminutize
• dimwit

Further reading

• diminutive on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Danish

Adjective

diminutive

1. definite of diminutiv
2. plural of diminutiv

French

Adjective

diminutive

1. feminine singular of diminutif

German

Adjective

diminutive

1. inflection of diminutiv:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

Adjective

diminutive

1. feminine plural of diminutivo

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

diminutive

1. definite singular/plural of diminutiv

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

diminutive

1. definite singular/plural of diminutiv

English

Etymology

From Middle French puisné. See puisne.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pju?ni/
• Rhymes: -u?ni

Adjective

puny (comparative punier, superlative puniest)

1. Of inferior size, strength or significance; small, weak, ineffective.
   • Breezes laugh to scorn our puny speed.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:scrawny

Translations

Noun

puny (plural punies)

1. (obsolete, Oxford University slang) A new pupil at a school etc.; a junior student.
2. (obsolete) A younger person.
   • 1642, Thomas Fuller, The Holy State and the Profane State

     who had rather others should make a ladder of his dead corpse to scale a city by it, than a bridge of him whilst alive for his punies to give him the go-by
3. (obsolete) A beginner, a novice.
4. (archaic) An inferior person; a subordinate.

Synonyms

• (new pupil): fresher, freshman, new bug, novi (Tonbridge School), shadow (Westminster School)
• (beginner): newb, rookie, tenderfoot; see also Thesaurus:beginner
• (subordinate): junior, underling, vassal

See also

• punny – relating to a pun

Catalan

Etymology

From Old Occitan, from Latin pugnus, from Proto-Indo-European *pu?nos, *pu?nos, from *pew?-, *peu?- (“prick, punch”).

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central, Valencian) IPA^(key): /?pu?/

Noun

puny m (plural punys)

1. fist

Related terms

• punyal
• punyeta

Further reading

• “puny” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “puny” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “puny” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “puny” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.