-lus

See also: Appendix:Variations of "lus"

Finnish

Etymology

Equivalent to -ella +‎ -us.

Suffix

-lus (front vowel harmony variant -lys, linguistic notation -lUs)

1. Forms some nouns.

Usage notes

The preceding vowel generally turns into an -e-.

Declension

Inflection of -lus (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)
nominative		-lus	-lukset
genitive		-luksen	-lusten -luksien
partitive		-lusta	-luksia
illative		-lukseen	-luksiin
		singular	plural
nominative		-lus	-lukset
accusative	nom.	-lus	-lukset
	gen.	-luksen
genitive		-luksen	-lusten -luksien
partitive		-lusta	-luksia
inessive		-luksessa	-luksissa
elative		-luksesta	-luksista
illative		-lukseen	-luksiin
adessive		-luksella	-luksilla
ablative		-lukselta	-luksilta
allative		-lukselle	-luksille
essive		-luksena	-luksina
translative		-lukseksi	-luksiksi
abessive		-luksetta	-luksitta
instructive		—	-luksin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of -lus (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative -lukseni -lukseni accusative nom. -lukseni -lukseni gen. -lukseni genitive -lukseni -lusteni -luksieni partitive -lustani -luksiani inessive -luksessani -luksissani elative -luksestani -luksistani illative -lukseeni -luksiini adessive -luksellani -luksillani ablative -lukseltani -luksiltani allative -lukselleni -luksilleni essive -luksenani -luksinani translative -luksekseni -luksikseni abessive -luksettani -luksittani instructive — — comitative — -luksineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative -luksesi -luksesi accusative nom. -luksesi -luksesi gen. -luksesi genitive -luksesi -lustesi -luksiesi partitive -lustasi -luksiasi inessive -luksessasi -luksissasi elative -luksestasi -luksistasi illative -lukseesi -luksiisi adessive -luksellasi -luksillasi ablative -lukseltasi -luksiltasi allative -luksellesi -luksillesi essive -luksenasi -luksinasi translative -lukseksesi -luksiksesi abessive -luksettasi -luksittasi instructive — — comitative — -luksinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative -luksemme -luksemme accusative nom. -luksemme -luksemme gen. -luksemme genitive -luksemme -lustemme -luksiemme partitive -lustamme -luksiamme inessive -luksessamme -luksissamme elative -luksestamme -luksistamme illative -lukseemme -luksiimme adessive -luksellamme -luksillamme ablative -lukseltamme -luksiltamme allative -luksellemme -luksillemme essive -luksenamme -luksinamme translative -lukseksemme -luksiksemme abessive -luksettamme -luksittamme instructive — — comitative — -luksinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative -luksenne -luksenne accusative nom. -luksenne -luksenne gen. -luksenne genitive -luksenne -lustenne -luksienne partitive -lustanne -luksianne inessive -luksessanne -luksissanne elative -luksestanne -luksistanne illative -lukseenne -luksiinne adessive -luksellanne -luksillanne ablative -lukseltanne -luksiltanne allative -luksellenne -luksillenne essive -luksenanne -luksinanne translative -lukseksenne -luksiksenne abessive -luksettanne -luksittanne instructive — — comitative — -luksinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative -luksensa -luksensa accusative nom. -luksensa -luksensa gen. -luksensa genitive -luksensa -lustensa -luksiensa partitive -lustaan -lustansa -luksiaan -luksiansa inessive -luksessaan -luksessansa -luksissaan -luksissansa elative -luksestaan -luksestansa -luksistaan -luksistansa illative -lukseensa -luksiinsa adessive -luksellaan -luksellansa -luksillaan -luksillansa ablative -lukseltaan -lukseltansa -luksiltaan -luksiltansa allative -lukselleen -luksellensa -luksilleen -luksillensa essive -luksenaan -luksenansa -luksinaan -luksinansa translative -luksekseen -lukseksensa -luksikseen -luksiksensa abessive -luksettaan -luksettansa -luksittaan -luksittansa instructive — — comitative — -luksineen -luksinensa

Derived terms

Finnish terms suffixed with -lus

Latin

Etymology

From syncope of Proto-Italic *-elos (source of Classical Latin -ulus), from Proto-Indo-European *-elós, thematized from *-lós.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /lus/, [ɫ̪ʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /lus/, [lus]

Suffix

-lus (feminine -la, neuter -lum); first/second-declension suffix

1. Alternative form of -ulus

Usage notes

The suffix -lus is added to a noun to form a diminutive of that noun. As with other Latin diminutive suffixes, the gender of the diminutive regularly matches the gender of the base noun.

This form of the diminutive suffix is attached mainly to first- or second-declension nouns or adjectives whose stem-final vowel (-a- or -o-) is preceded by /r/, /l/ or /n/. Depending on declension and gender, this corresponds to words that end in the nominative singular with -ra, -er/-rus, -rum; -la, -lus, -lum; or -na, -nus, -num. As the result of syncope, the /r/, /n/, or /l/ of the stem is brought into contact with the /l/ of the diminutive suffix and is assimilated to it, forming geminate /ll/.

When the /r/, /n/, or /l/ in the base word is preceded by a short vowel or consonant, the diminutive usually ends in -ellus/-a/-um or -illus/-a/-um. (More rarely, some end in -ullus/-a/-um.) The vowel before /ll/ in the diminutive may differ from the vowel used in the base word. In the oldest formations, these vowels likely developed from regular sound changes. However, it is likely that many diminutives ending in -ellus and -illus were formed more recently than the stage when these sound changes occurred and took their vowels based on analogy with existing pairs of words. Thus, the endings -ellus and -illus had already started to be extended as suffixes in their own right in pre-literary times.

However, if for the sake of morphological analysis we treat diminutives formed from bases in -ra-/-ro-, -na-/-no-, or -la-/-lo- as ending in the suffix -lus, the following generalizations can be made about the use of /ell/, /ill/, or other vowels + /ll/:

Bases with stems that end in -ra-/-ro- preceded by either the short vowel /e/ or by another consonant typically form diminutives in /ell/ (per Strodach, the only exception attested in Republican Latin is trānstillum from trānstrum; a second exception attested in Imperial Latin is veretillum/veretilla from veretrum):

‎liber (“book”) + ‎-lus → ‎libellus (“booklet”)

‎opera (“work”) + ‎-lus → ‎opella (“light work”)

‎cerebrum (“brain”) + ‎-lus → ‎cerebellum (“a small brain”)

Bases with stems that end in -na-/-no- preceded by a long vowel retain the quality, and probably also the quantity, of the long vowel before the geminate /ll/:

‎catēna (“chain”) + ‎-lus → ‎catēlla (“a little/ornamental chain”)

‎vīnum (“wine”) + ‎-lus → ‎vīllum (“a little wine”)

‎corōna (“garland, wreath, crown”) + ‎-lus → ‎corōlla (“little crown, garland”)

‎ūnus (“one”) + ‎-lus → ‎ūllus (“any”)

Bases with stems that end in -na-/-no- preceded by the short vowel /i/ typically form diminutives in /ell/ (with the exception of māchilla from māchina). This /i/-/e/ alternation likely developed initially from the sound change of vowel reduction, by which original short vowels /e/ or /a/ regularly turned into /i/ in word-medial open syllables but into /e/ in word-medial closed syllables:

‎asinus (“ass, donkey”) + ‎-lus → ‎asellus (“small (or young) ass, donkey”)

‎fēmina (“woman, female”) + ‎-lus → ‎fēmella (“girl, young woman”)

Bases with stems that end in -na-/-no- preceded by another consonant most often form diminutives in /ill/, sometimes in /ell/:

‎signum (“sign, mark, statue”) + ‎-lus → ‎sigillum (“seal, statuette”)

Bases with stems that end in -la-/-lo- preceded by the short vowel /u/ sometimes form diminutives in /ell/ and sometimes in /ill/:

‎oculus (“eye”) + ‎-lus → ‎ocellus (“little eye”)

‎ancula (“maidservant”) + ‎-lus → ‎ancilla (“maid, slave girl”)

‎porcus (“pig”) + ‎-lus → ‎porculus (“young pig, little pig, piglet”), ‎porculus + ‎-lus → ‎porcellus (“little pig, piglet”)

For some words, the base but not the diminutive shows the effect of sound changes on consonant clusters:

‎scamnum (“stool”) + ‎-lus → ‎scabillum (“footstool”) (base originally had -bn-, which turned into -mn- by regressive assimilation to nasality)

‎vannus (“winnowing basket”) + ‎-lus → ‎vatillum (“shovel”) (base originally had -tn-, which turned into -nn- by regressive assimilation to nasality)

‎māla (“cheekbone, jaw”) + ‎-lus → ‎maxilla (“jawbone”) (base originally had -ksl-, which turned into -◌̄l- by lenition of s-final clusters before voiced consonants)

A few third-declension nouns or names with stems ending in -r- or -n- may form diminutives with -lus:

Examples:

‎homō (“man (human being)”) + ‎-lus → ‎homullus (“little man”)

‎Hīspō (a male cognomen) + ‎-lus → ‎Hīspulla (a female cognomen)

‎frāter (“brother”) + ‎-lus → ‎frātellus (“brother”)

More often, third-declension nouns form diminutives with -culus, such as homunculus and fraterculus, also from homō and frāter.

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	-lus	-la	-lum		-lī	-lae	-la
genitive	-lī	-lae	-lī		-lōrum	-lārum	-lōrum
dative	-lō	-lae	-lō		-līs
accusative	-lum	-lam	-lum		-lōs	-lās	-la
ablative	-lō	-lā	-lō		-līs
vocative	-le	-la	-lum		-lī	-lae	-la

Derived terms

• -ellus
• -illus
• -ullus

Latin terms suffixed with -lus