All 3 Uses of
diminutive
in
The House of the Seven Gables
- It is—we say it without censure, nor in diminution of the claim which it indefeasibly possesses on beings of another mould—it is always selfish in its essence; and we must give it leave to be so, and heap up our heroic and disinterested love upon it so much the more, without a recompense.†
Chpt 7
- He was quite ashamed, after the foregoing reflections, to propose any diminution of so moderate a recompense for the immense service to be rendered.†
Chpt 13 *
- That afternoon Phoebe found a diminutive egg,—not in the regular nest, it was far too precious to be trusted there,—but cunningly hidden under the currant-bushes, on some dry stalks of last year's grass.†
Chpt 10
Definitions:
-
(1)
(diminutive) very small
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
More rarely, diminutive can reference a noun modified by as suffix (such as -let, -ette) to indicate smallness such as booklet, piglet, towelette, or cigarette.