English
-le
Pronunciation
  • IPA: /əl/, /l̩/
Etymology 1

From Middle English -elen, -len, -lien, from Old English -lian, from Proto-West Germanic *-lōn, from Proto-Germanic *-lōną.

Cognate with Western Frisian -elje, Dutch -elen, German -eln, Danish -le, Norwegian Bokmål -le, Norwegian Nynorsk -la, Swedish -la, Icelandic -la. Compare -er.

Suffix
  1. A frequentative suffix of verbs, indicating repetition or continuousness:
    assle, buzzle, crackle, cuddle, dazzle, draggle, drawl, dribble, drizzle, fumble, gamble, grapple, handle, jostle, kissle, maddle, mingle, nestle, nuzzle, prattle, quible, ramble, rattle, ripple, scribble, sile, sizzle, smartle, sniffle, snuggle, startle, stopple, suckle, tattle, tickle, topple, waggle, whemmle, wiggle, wrestle
Translations Etymology 2

From Middle English -el, -le, from Old English -el, -ol, from Proto-Germanic *-ulaz and *-ilaz.

Suffix
  1. Forming adjectives from verbs with the meaning of "prone to", "tending to", "apt to", "capable of"; compare -ative:
    battle, breakle, brittle, fickle, forgettle, little, newfangle, nimble, wankle
Etymology 3

From Middle English -el, from a combination of two suffixes:

  • Old English -el, -il, from Proto-Germanic *-ilaz diminutive suffix.
  • Old English -el, -ol, -ul, from Proto-Germanic *-ilaz agent suffix.
Suffix
  1. Forming diminutives from other nouns.
    Coordinate term: -ling
    dump + -le → dimple
    dung + -le → dingle
    hatch + -le → hatchel
    hose + -le → hosel
    howf + -le → hovel
    gome + -le → gomeral
    corn + -le → kernel
    new + -le → newel
    nose + -le → nozzle
    puck + -le → puckle
    turd + -le → treddle
  2. Forming agent nouns from verbs:
    beadle, beetle, bridle, bundle, cripple, fettle, girdle, ladle, losel, runnel, shovel, spindle, spittle, steeple, stile, stopple, thimble, tool, towel, trundle


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