suffixfirst/second-declension suffix
-uculus
-uculus (feminine -ucula, neuter -uculum)
Classical[ʊ.kʊ.ɫʊs]Ecclesiastical[u.ku.lus]
Meaning
- alternativemorphemesuffixalternative form of -culus
- morphemesuffixadded to a noun to form a diminutive of that noun.
Origins
Alteration, probably by rebracketing, of diminutive suffix -culus. (Some words ending in -uculus can be analyzed as containing -culus preceded by the stem vowel -u- of the fourth declension, such as genuculum from genū̆.)