# -lus
## Finnish
### Etymology

Equivalent to -ella +‎ -us.

### Suffix

-lus (front vowel harmony variant -lys, linguistic notation -lUs)
* Forms some nouns.

#### Usage notes

The preceding vowel generally turns into an -e-.

#### Declension

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
## 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: /lus/, [ɫ̪ʊs̠]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /lus/, [lus]

### Suffix

-lus (feminine -la, neuter -lum); first/second-declension suffix
* Alternative form of -ulus

#### Usage notes

The suffix -lus is added to a noun to form a diminutive of that noun. It 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/: these words have a nominative singular that ends in one of -er, -rus, -lus, -nus (second-declension masculine), -ra, -la, -na (first declension), or -rum, -lum, -num (second-declension neuter). 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/. As with other Latin diminutive suffixes, the gender of the diminutive regularly matches the gender of the base noun:
       ‎tessera f (“square, die”) + ‎-lus → ‎tessella f (“small square, small cube”)
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 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.
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.

#### Derived terms

* -ellus
* -illus
* -ullus

### References

* ↑ "Latin Diminutives in -Ello/A- and -Illo/A-: A Study in Diminutive Formation." George Kleppinger Strodach. Language, Vol. 9, No. 1, Language Dissertation No. 14 (Mar., 1933), pp. 7-98. Linguistic Society of America, http://www.jstor.org/stable/522000
* ↑ de Goede, Tim (2014) de Vaan, Michiel, editors, Derivational Morphology: New Perspectives on the Italo-Celtic Hypothesis (Research master thesis)‎, Leiden University, pages 14-15
* ↑ "The Formation of Latin Diminutives of Nouns and Adjectives," Ian Andreas Miller, ResearchGate, Jan 2012