Monographs

Herbert Weir Smyth [n.d.], A Greek Grammar for Colleges; Machine readable text [info] [word count] [Smyth].

852 DIMINUTIVES

Diminutives are denominatives formed from the stems of substantives by various secondary suffixes.

1. ιο (nom. -ιο-ν, neut.): παιδ-ίο-ν little child (παῖς, παιδ-ός), ὀρνί_θ-ιο-ν small bird (ὄρνι_ς, ὄρνι_θος), ἀσπίδ-ιο-ν small shield (ἀσπίς, ἀσπίδ-ος).

N.—Trisyllabic words are paroxytone if the first syllable is long by nature or position.

2. ιδ-ιο (nom. -ίδιο-ν, neut.): derived from such words as ἀσπίδ-ιο-ν; as ξιφ-ίδιο-ν dagger (ξίφος sword, stem ξιφες-), βο-ίδιο-ν small cow (βοῦ-ς), οἰκί_διο-ν small house, οἰκι ιδιον (οἰκία_), ἰχθύ_διο-ν small fish (ἰχθύ_ς). See ^cross833 b.

3. αρ-ιο (nom. -άριον, neut.): παιδ-άριο-ν little child.

4. υδ-ριο (nom. -ύδριον, neut.): μελ-ύδριο-ν little song (μέλος).

5. υλλιο (nom. -ύλλιον, neut.): ἐπ-ύλλιο-ν little epic or cersicle (ἔπος).

6. ισκο, ισκα_ (nom. -ίσκος, masc., -ίσκη, fem.): ἀνθρωπ-ίσκο-ς manikin, παιδ-ίσκο-ς young boy, παιδ-ίσκη young girl. From this comes -ισκ-ιο in ἀσπιδ-ίσκιο-ν small shield.

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Herbert Weir Smyth [n.d.], A Greek Grammar for Colleges; Machine readable text [info] [word count] [Smyth].