ette

Ette is a suffix used to form diminutive or, in some cases, feminine nouns, particularly in French and in English loanwords. It derives from Old French -ette, a diminutive suffix added to masculine or neutral stems to signal smallness or a softer, familiar nuance. In French, the suffix often yields a smaller or affectionately styled version of a noun; for example, maisonnette can denote a small house or cottage, and other nouns can take -ette to convey a lighter or more intimate sense.

In English, -ette has been adopted from French and appears in a broad range of words. It frequently serves to indicate a smaller version of something, a feminine-associated form, or simply a conventional loanword without a strict size implication. Common English examples include kitchenette (a small kitchen), cigarette (a small or slender cigarette in historical usage), marionette (a puppet controlled by strings), and cassette (a small container or case for media). The exact sense of -ette can vary by word, and in some cases the suffix carries a stylistic or historical flavor rather than a precise size indication.

Usage and nuance: the French origin remains the clearest guide to the suffix’s meaning, but English uses of -ette are diverse and often conventional rather than purely semantic. The suffix can impart a quaint, refined, or diminutive feel, and it appears in a wide array of domains, including domestic, artistic, and consumer terminology. Similar diminutive suffixes exist across languages (for example -etto in Italian, -eta in Spanish), illustrating a broader pattern of forming smaller or less expansive forms from base nouns.