Diminutive Suffixes

Lat. for little mouse

musculus

-culus

little mass of substance

molecule

-cule

little mouse (from the shape of a contracted muscle)

muscle

-cle

little body (old term for blood cell)

corpuscle

-cle

little key (from the shape of an old key)

clavicle

-cle

little belly (a lower chamber of the heart)

ventricle

-cle

small ear (in reference to the external ear and to the left and right atria)

auricle

-cle

little brain

cerebellum

-ellum

little skin

cuticle

-cle

little pan; knee pan (knee cap)

patella

-ella

little knife

scalpel

-el

little bite

morsel

-el

little staff or rod (diminutive of Lat. baculus = rod, staff)

bacillus

-illus

a little oar (the tonsil from the Lat. tonsa = oar and tonsilla = tonsil)

tonsil

-il

alveolus

a small pit (from the Lat. alveus = pit, trough, hollow sack)

-olus

modiolus

small measure (from the Lat. modiolus = a small cylindrical vessel, the conical-shaped central axis of the cochlea of the ear)

-olus

a little kernel (dim. of the Lat. diminutive nucleus = kernel, little nut)

nucleolus

-olus

a little artery (dim. from the Lat. arteria = artery) a minute artery

arteriola

-ola

little windpipe (dim. from the Gr. bronchos = windpipe)

bronchiole

-ole

little empty space, dim. from the Lat. vacuus = empty (a small cavity in the protoplasm of a cell)

vacuole

-ole

a little stone (from the Lat. dim. calculus = a pebble) any abnormal stone

calculus

-ulus

a little goad (from the Lat. stimulus = a goad for urging on animals) anything causing or regarded as causing a response

stimulus

-ulus

a little hook (dim. of Lat. hamus = hook) any hook-like structure

hamulus

-ulus

a little bunch of grapes, grape (from the Lat. uva = bunch of grapes) a little grape (small soft structure hanging from the free edge of the soft palate in the midline above the root of the tongue)

uvula

-ula

a little vein (dim. of Lat. vena = vein) a tiny vein continuous with a capillary

venule

-ule

A little grain (from Lat. dim. granulum from granum = grain) small grain-like body

granule

-ule