-ellus

Latin

Etymology

By rebracketing of diminutives such as libellus (liber +‎ -lus) or femella (femina +‎ -lus), where the stem consonants -n- and -r- shifted to -l- by regressive assimilation; or diminutives of diminutives such as porcellus (porculus +‎ -lus), ocellus (oculus +‎ -lus).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈel.lus/, [ˈɛlːʲʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈel.lus/, [ˈɛlːus]

Suffix

-ellus (feminine -ella, neuter -ellum); first/second-declension suffix

1. Alternative form of -ulus

   ‎ager + ‎-ellus → ‎agrellus (“little field”) (compare this to agellus, which is from ager +‎ -lus)

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	-ellus	-ella	-ellum		-ellī	-ellae	-ella
Genitive	-ellī	-ellae	-ellī		-ellōrum	-ellārum	-ellōrum
Dative	-ellō		-ellō		-ellīs
Accusative	-ellum	-ellam	-ellum		-ellōs	-ellās	-ella
Ablative	-ellō	-ellā	-ellō		-ellīs
Vocative	-elle	-ella	-ellum		-ellī	-ellae	-ella

Derived terms

Latin terms suffixed with -ellus

Descendants

• Asturian: -iellu
• Aromanian: -el, -ãl
• Catalan: -ell
• Extremaduran: -illu
• French: -eau, -el
• Galician: -elo
• Italian: -ello
• Occitan: -el

• Portuguese: -elo
• Romanian: -el
• Spanish: -elo, -illo, -iello, -el
• Sicilian: -eḍḍu
• Walloon: -ea