-le

suffix forming verbs

denoting repeated or continuous action, often of a diminutive nature

⇒ twiddle

⇒ wriggle

⇒ wrestle

Origin

from Middle English -len, Old English -lian, with similar significance

-le

Word Origin

1

a suffix of verbs having a frequentative force:

dazzle; twinkle.

2

a suffix of adjectives formed originally on verbal stems and having the sense of “apt to”:

brittle.

3

a noun suffix having originally a diminutive meaning:

bramble.

4

a noun suffix indicating agent or instrument:

beadle; bridle; thimble.

Origin

Middle English -len, Old English -lian (v.); Middle English -el, Old English -ol (adj.); Middle English -el, Old English -il (diminutive); Middle English -el, Old English -ol, -ul (agent)

-lea suffix forming verbs which express a repeated action, as in sparkle, twinkle.

-le²

/əl/

（亦作-el）

suffix

forming nouns having or originally having a diminutive sense ［构成名词］表示“指小的（或原意指小的）”：: mantle

battle

castle

词源

Middle English -el, -elle, partly from Old English and partly from Old French （based on Latin forms）.

-le³

/əl/

suffix

(forming adjectives from an original verb) apt to; liable to ［构成由动词演化的形容词］表示“易…的”：: brittle

nimble.

词源

Middle English： from earlier -el, of Germanic origin.

-le⁴

/əl/

suffix

forming verbs, chiefly those expressing repeated action or movement (as in babble, dazzle), or having diminutive sense (as in nestle) 构成主要表示反复动作行为的（如babble, dazzle）或指小的（如nestle）动词。

词源

Old English -lian, of Germanic origin.

-le¹

/əl/

suffix

1.

forming names of appliances or instruments ［构成名词］表示器具名称：: bridle

thimble

2.

forming names of animals and plants ［构成名词］表示动植物名称：: beetle.

词源

Old English， of Germanic origin.

-le, suffixpronounced |-(ə)l|, of various function and origin.1. The usual mod.Eng. form of ME. -el(e, -le, repr. OE. -el, -ela, -(e)le in ns. and -ol, -ul, -el in adjs. (The form -el is retained where phonetic law or orthographical convention does not permit the change into -le, as after ch, g soft, n, r, sh, th, and v. After m the suffix becomes -ble.)The OE. ns. and adjs. with l suffixes are prob. in most cases of pre-Eng. formation. The ns. formed on noun-stems have sometimes an originally diminutive sense, as in bramble; sometimes they express the notion of ‘an appliance or tool’, as in thimble, handle. In those formed on vb.-stems the function of the suffix is either agential as in beadle, instrumental as in bridle, girdle, or expressive of some less definable relation, as in bundle. The adjs., which are formed on vb.-stems, have the sense ‘apt or liable’ (to do what the vb. expresses), as in brittle, fickle, gripple, nimble, † swikel.b. In riddle the suffix represents OE. -els, the s having been confused with the plural ending.2. An occasional representative of ME. -el(l, -elle, in ns. adopted from Fr. This has several different sources: in castle, mantle, it is OF. -el:—L. -ellum dim. suffix (see -el); in cattle it is OF. -el:—L. -āle, the neut. sing., and in battle it is OF. -aille the neut. pl., of the adjective suffix -ālis (see -al¹); in bottle it is OF. -eille:—L. -icula dim. suffix.3. A verbal formative, repr. ME. -(e)len, OE. -lian:—OTeut. type -ilôjan, with a frequentative or sometimes a diminutive sense. Among the few examples that go back to OE. are nestle, twinkle, wrestle. In ME. and early mod.E. the suffix was extensively used (like the equivalent forms in MHG. and mod.Ger. and in Du.) to form vbs. expressing repeated action or movement, as in brastle, crackle, crumple, dazzle, hobble, niggle, paddle, sparkle, topple, wriggle, etc. Many of these formations are from echoic roots, as babble, cackle, gabble, giggle, guggle, mumble, etc.

-le

instrumental word-forming element, the usual modern form of -el(1), a suffix originally used in Old English to form agent nouns.

1. suffix¹ | 2. suffix² | 3. suffix³

1
-le /(ə)l/ suffix¹ (not productive).

ORIGIN: Repr. Old English -el, -ela, -(e)le in nouns and -ol, -ul, -el in adjectives, from Germanic, with many Indo-European cognates. See also -el¹.

Forming nouns from nouns with (orig.) dim. sense, as bramble, or denoting an appliance, as thimble, handle; forming nouns from verbs, denoting an agent, as beadle, or an instrument, as bridle, girdle, and adjectives from verbs with the sense ‘apt or liable (to do)’, as brittle, fickle, nimble. In some nouns, as riddle, repr. a back-form. from -els, taken as pl.

2
-le /(ə)l/ suffix² (not productive).Forming nouns with (orig.) dim. sense, and repr. Old French -el from Latin -ellum dim. suffix, as castle, mantle, Old French -el from Latin -ale neut. sing. of -alis adjectival suffix, as cattle, Old French -aille from Latin -alia neut. pl. of -alis adjectival suffix, as battle, and Old French -eille from Latin -icula dim. suffix, as bottle. Cf. -el².

3
-le /(ə)l/ suffix³ (not productive).

ORIGIN: Repr. Old English -lian from Germanic.

Forming verbs with frequentative or dim. sense, as babble, crumple, dazzle, giggle, nestle, twinkle, wrestle.

-le

suffix.

small (diminutive), as in icicle, kettle.

again and again (frequentative), as in crackle, sparkle.

[def. 1, Old English -el; def. 2, Middle English -elen, Old English -lian]

le.

lease.

l.e.

Football. left end.

LE (no periods)

labor exchange.

leading edge.

Football. left end.

-le
\əl, ^əl\ verb suffix
(-led ; -led ; -ling \(ə)liŋ, (^ə)l-\ ; -les)
Etymology: Middle English -len, from Old English -lian; akin to Old High German -ilōn, -alōn, verb suffixes indicating repeated action
— indicating repeated action or movement especially of a trifling or small-scale character
< prattle >
< wriggle >
< hobble >

-le¹
-el

IPA: /əl/, /l̩/

Suffix

A frequentative suffix of verbs, indicating repetition or continuousness:

assle, buzzle, crackle, cuddle, dazzle, draggle, drawl, dribble, drizzle, fumble, gamble, grapple, handle, jostle, kissle, jostle, maddle, mingle, nestle, nuzzle, prattle, ramble, rattle, ripple, scribble, sile, sizzle, smartle, sniffle, snuggle, startle, stopple, suckle, tattle, tickle, topple, waggle, whemmle, wiggle, wrestle

Etymology

From Middle English -elen, -len, -lien, from Old English -lian (frequentative verbal suffix), from Proto-Germanic *-lōną (frequentative verbal suffix). Cognate with West Frisian -elje, Dutch -elen, German -eln, Danish -le, Swedish -la, Icelandic -la. Compare -er.

-le²

Suffix

A suffix 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

From Middle English -el, -le, from Old English -el, -ol (adjective suffix), from Proto-Germanic *-ulaz (adjective suffix). Cognate with West Frisian -el, Dutch -el, Low German -el, German -el.

-le³

Suffix

A suffix 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

Etymology

From Middle English -el, from Old English -el, -ol, -ul (agent suffix), from Proto-Germanic *-ilaz (agent suffix). Cognate with West Frisian -el, Dutch -el, Low German -el, German -el.

-le⁴
-el

Suffix

A suffix forming diminutives from other nouns; compare -ling:

bramble, dimple, dingle, hatchel, hosel, hovel, gomeral, kernel, newel, nozzle, puckle, treddle

Etymology

From Middle English -el, from Old English -el, -il (diminutive suffix), from Proto-Germanic *-ilaz (diminutive suffix).

Derived terms

English words suffixed with -le

terms derived using -le (frequentative)

assle

crackle

dazzle

dribble

nuzzle

prattle

puzzle

sniffle

startle

tousle

twinkle

wrestle

wriggle

terms derived using -le (diminutive)

dottle

piffle

后缀：-le ①[动词后缀]

1、表示反复、连续及拟声动作

winkle 闪烁，闪耀

twinkle 闪烁，闪耀

wriggle 蠕动，扭动

joggle 轻摇

jingle 作丁当响

tinkle 发丁当声

sizzle 发咝咝声

gurgle 发咯咯声

2、将形容词或名词变成动词

darkle 变暗

speckle 使弄上斑点

sparkle 发火花

handle 拿，搬弄，操纵

②[名词后缀]

表示做某种动作时所使用的东西

thimble 顶针（thimb=thumb拇指）

shuttle 织布梭（shut=shoot抛出）

stopple 塞子

spindle 纺纱锭子（spin纺）

handle 柄，把手

girdle 带，腰带

词汇	-le
词根词缀	Collins Dictionary.com Macquarie NewOxfordEC OED Online Etymology Dictionary SOED WBD Webster Wiktionary YoudictWordRoots -le suffix forming verbs denoting repeated or continuous action, often of a diminutive nature ⇒ twiddle ⇒ wriggle ⇒ wrestle Origin from Middle English -len, Old English -lian, with similar significance -le Word Origin 1 a suffix of verbs having a frequentative force: dazzle; twinkle. 2 a suffix of adjectives formed originally on verbal stems and having the sense of “apt to”: brittle. 3 a noun suffix having originally a diminutive meaning: bramble. 4 a noun suffix indicating agent or instrument: beadle; bridle; thimble. Origin Middle English -len, Old English -lian (v.); Middle English -el, Old English -ol (adj.); Middle English -el, Old English -il (diminutive); Middle English -el, Old English -ol, -ul (agent) -lea suffix forming verbs which express a repeated action, as in sparkle, twinkle. -le² /əl/ （亦作-el） suffix forming nouns having or originally having a diminutive sense ［构成名词］表示“指小的（或原意指小的）”： mantle battle castle 词源 Middle English -el, -elle, partly from Old English and partly from Old French （based on Latin forms）. -le³ /əl/ suffix (forming adjectives from an original verb) apt to; liable to ［构成由动词演化的形容词］表示“易…的”： brittle nimble. 词源 Middle English： from earlier -el, of Germanic origin. -le⁴ /əl/ suffix forming verbs, chiefly those expressing repeated action or movement (as in babble, dazzle), or having diminutive sense (as in nestle) 构成主要表示反复动作行为的（如babble, dazzle）或指小的（如nestle）动词。词源 Old English -lian, of Germanic origin. -le¹ /əl/ suffix 1. forming names of appliances or instruments ［构成名词］表示器具名称： bridle thimble 2. forming names of animals and plants ［构成名词］表示动植物名称： beetle. 词源 Old English， of Germanic origin. -le, suffixpronounced \|-(ə)l\|, of various function and origin.1. The usual mod.Eng. form of ME. -el(e, -le, repr. OE. -el, -ela, -(e)le in ns. and -ol, -ul, -el in adjs. (The form -el is retained where phonetic law or orthographical convention does not permit the change into -le, as after ch, g soft, n, r, sh, th, and v. After m the suffix becomes -ble.)The OE. ns. and adjs. with l suffixes are prob. in most cases of pre-Eng. formation. The ns. formed on noun-stems have sometimes an originally diminutive sense, as in bramble; sometimes they express the notion of ‘an appliance or tool’, as in thimble, handle. In those formed on vb.-stems the function of the suffix is either agential as in beadle, instrumental as in bridle, girdle, or expressive of some less definable relation, as in bundle. The adjs., which are formed on vb.-stems, have the sense ‘apt or liable’ (to do what the vb. expresses), as in brittle, fickle, gripple, nimble, † swikel.b. In riddle the suffix represents OE. -els, the s having been confused with the plural ending.2. An occasional representative of ME. -el(l, -elle, in ns. adopted from Fr. This has several different sources: in castle, mantle, it is OF. -el:—L. -ellum dim. suffix (see -el); in cattle it is OF. -el:—L. -āle, the neut. sing., and in battle it is OF. -aille the neut. pl., of the adjective suffix -ālis (see -al¹); in bottle it is OF. -eille:—L. -icula dim. suffix.3. A verbal formative, repr. ME. -(e)len, OE. -lian:—OTeut. type -ilôjan, with a frequentative or sometimes a diminutive sense. Among the few examples that go back to OE. are nestle, twinkle, wrestle. In ME. and early mod.E. the suffix was extensively used (like the equivalent forms in MHG. and mod.Ger. and in Du.) to form vbs. expressing repeated action or movement, as in brastle, crackle, crumple, dazzle, hobble, niggle, paddle, sparkle, topple, wriggle, etc. Many of these formations are from echoic roots, as babble, cackle, gabble, giggle, guggle, mumble, etc. -le instrumental word-forming element, the usual modern form of -el(1), a suffix originally used in Old English to form agent nouns. 1. suffix¹ \| 2. suffix² \| 3. suffix³ 1 -le /(ə)l/ suffix¹ (not productive). ORIGIN: Repr. Old English -el, -ela, -(e)le in nouns and -ol, -ul, -el in adjectives, from Germanic, with many Indo-European cognates. See also -el¹. Forming nouns from nouns with (orig.) dim. sense, as bramble, or denoting an appliance, as thimble, handle; forming nouns from verbs, denoting an agent, as beadle, or an instrument, as bridle, girdle, and adjectives from verbs with the sense ‘apt or liable (to do)’, as brittle, fickle, nimble. In some nouns, as riddle, repr. a back-form. from -els, taken as pl. 2 -le /(ə)l/ suffix² (not productive).Forming nouns with (orig.) dim. sense, and repr. Old French -el from Latin -ellum dim. suffix, as castle, mantle, Old French -el from Latin -ale neut. sing. of -alis adjectival suffix, as cattle, Old French -aille from Latin -alia neut. pl. of -alis adjectival suffix, as battle, and Old French -eille from Latin -icula dim. suffix, as bottle. Cf. -el². 3 -le /(ə)l/ suffix³ (not productive). ORIGIN: Repr. Old English -lian from Germanic. Forming verbs with frequentative or dim. sense, as babble, crumple, dazzle, giggle, nestle, twinkle, wrestle. -le suffix. small (diminutive), as in icicle, kettle. again and again (frequentative), as in crackle, sparkle. [def. 1, Old English -el; def. 2, Middle English -elen, Old English -lian] le. lease. l.e. Football. left end. LE (no periods) labor exchange. leading edge. Football. left end. -le \əl, ^əl\ verb suffix (-led ; -led ; -ling \(ə)liŋ, (^ə)l-\ ; -les) Etymology: Middle English -len, from Old English -lian; akin to Old High German -ilōn, -alōn, verb suffixes indicating repeated action — indicating repeated action or movement especially of a trifling or small-scale character < prattle > < wriggle > < hobble > -le¹ -el IPA: /əl/, /l̩/ Suffix A frequentative suffix of verbs, indicating repetition or continuousness: assle, buzzle, crackle, cuddle, dazzle, draggle, drawl, dribble, drizzle, fumble, gamble, grapple, handle, jostle, kissle, jostle, maddle, mingle, nestle, nuzzle, prattle, ramble, rattle, ripple, scribble, sile, sizzle, smartle, sniffle, snuggle, startle, stopple, suckle, tattle, tickle, topple, waggle, whemmle, wiggle, wrestle Etymology From Middle English -elen, -len, -lien, from Old English -lian (frequentative verbal suffix), from Proto-Germanic -lōną (frequentative verbal suffix). Cognate with West Frisian -elje, Dutch -elen, German -eln, Danish -le, Swedish -la, Icelandic -la. Compare -er. -le² Suffix A suffix 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 From Middle English -el, -le, from Old English -el, -ol* (adjective suffix), from Proto-Germanic -ulaz (adjective suffix). Cognate with West Frisian -el, Dutch -el, Low German -el, German -el. -le³ Suffix A suffix 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 Etymology From Middle English -el, from Old English -el, -ol, -ul* (agent suffix), from Proto-Germanic -ilaz (agent suffix). Cognate with West Frisian -el, Dutch -el, Low German -el, German -el. -le⁴ -el Suffix A suffix forming diminutives from other nouns; compare -ling: bramble, dimple, dingle, hatchel, hosel, hovel, gomeral, kernel, newel, nozzle, puckle, treddle Etymology From Middle English -el, from Old English -el, -il* (diminutive suffix), from Proto-Germanic *-ilaz (diminutive suffix). Derived terms ► English words suffixed with -le terms derived using -le (frequentative) assle crackle dazzle dribble nuzzle prattle puzzle sniffle startle tousle twinkle wrestle wriggle terms derived using -le (diminutive) dottle piffle 后缀：-le ①[动词后缀] 1、表示反复、连续及拟声动作 winkle 闪烁，闪耀 twinkle 闪烁，闪耀 wriggle 蠕动，扭动 joggle 轻摇 jingle 作丁当响 tinkle 发丁当声 sizzle 发咝咝声 gurgle 发咯咯声 2、将形容词或名词变成动词 darkle 变暗 speckle 使弄上斑点 sparkle 发火花 handle 拿，搬弄，操纵 ②[名词后缀] 表示做某种动作时所使用的东西 thimble 顶针（thimb=thumb拇指） shuttle 织布梭（shut=shoot抛出） stopple 塞子 spindle 纺纱锭子（spin纺） handle 柄，把手 girdle 带，腰带
随便看	pursuer pursuit purty purulent purulo- purvey purveyance purveyor purview -pus pus Pusey push- push push-button pusher pushmi-pullyu push-off pushover push-up pushy pusill- pusill pusillanimity pusillanimous

suffix forming verbs

Origin

-le

-le 1-el

Suffix

Etymology

-le 2

Suffix

Etymology

-le 3

Suffix

Etymology

-le 4-el

Suffix

Etymology

Derived terms

后缀：-le ①[动词后缀]

-le¹
-el

-le²

-le³

-le⁴
-el