-lein

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See also: lein, Lein, and LEIN

German[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

  • -el, -l (chiefly dialectal)
  • -le (chiefly dialectal)
  • -li (in Swiss)
  • -lin (chiefly Early New High German)
  • -elein (chiefly in poetry)

Etymology[edit]

From Middle High German -elīn, -līn, from Old High German -ilī, -ilīn.[1] Cognate to Dutch -lijn.

Pronunciation[edit]

Suffix[edit]

-lein

  1. suffix used to create a diminutive form; e.g., Kind → Kindlein

Usage notes[edit]

  • In modern Standard German it is less common than, and often replaced by, -chen.

Derived terms[edit]

German words suffixed with -lein


References[edit]

  1. ^ Kluge, Friedrich (1989), “-lein”, in Elmar Seebold, editor, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache [Etymological dictionary of the German language] (in German), 22nd edition, ISBN 3-11-006800-1

See also[edit]

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