-lijn

Dutch Etymology From nl dum -line (such as dum vogheline little bird), and it initially arose from nl -ing in words ending in -l. Cognate to de -lein (possibly influenced by the High German forms). Pronunciation nl Nl--lijn.ogg Suffix nl suffixes noun-forming suffixes nl obsolete suffix used to create a diminutive form; e.g., vogel → vogelijn Usage notes No longer productive, but still found in a small number of fixed diminutives that are mostly restricted to literary or poetic contexts, like nl parelijn little pearl, nl lievelijn sweetie, nl maagdelijn virgin; maiden, girl, nl sterrelijn little star, nl vendelijn small flag, nl vogelijn little bird and nl Duimelijntje Thumbelina. Derived terms nl