-le

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | 435 words | Copyright

-le2 suffix of adjs., repr. OE. -el, -ol, -ul, corr. to OS., OHG. -al, -il, Goth. -ils, -uls, and rel. further to IE. *-ulo-, *-ilo-, as in L. (esp. with pejorative force) bibulus, crēdulus, pendulus, querulus (cf. Goth. sakuls quarrelsome, OHG. ezzal greedy, OE, slāpol sleepy, wacol vigilant), L. agilis, facilis, similis, humilis, Gr. homalós smooth. Surviving words of OE. date are fickle, idle, little (cf. evil).

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T. F. HOAD. "-le." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "-le." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-le1.html

T. F. HOAD. "-le." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-le1.html

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