-ecilla

Spanish Etymology Form of es -cilla, rebracketed from words ending in -e. Suffix fes diminutive suffixes es -ecillo; added to feminine nouns to form diminutives es tienda shop tiendecilla little shop es red net redecilla small net; hairnet; reticulum es diosa goddess diosecilla minor goddess es mano hand manecilla hand (of a clock); needle (of an instrument); doorknob Usage notes If the noun has a final vowel (usually es -a), it is dropped before adding es -ecilla. In most cases, es -ecilla is used simply to indicate a small or endeared thing, without changing the basic meaning of the noun; however, in some cases, it is used to effect a greater change in meaning, as shown in the examples above. Derived terms es Related terms es -illa -cilla -cecilla See also es -ita, es -cita, es -ecita, es -cecita Further reading -ecillo