-rel

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-rel, -erel ME. suffix of dim. and depreciatory force, repr. OF. -erel (mod. -ereau), found first in animal names, the earliest of which is maquerel (XIII) MACKEREL, followed by DOGGEREL in XIV and in XV by COCKEREL, DOTTEREL, MONGREL, PICKEREL, and later KESTREL, WHIMBREL. Formations of a more general kind are SCOUNDREL, WASTREL.

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