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From: rmt51@cas.org ()
Subject: Re: Opposite of Diminutive
Message-ID: <1994Dec20.181053.8977@chemabs.uucp>
Sender: Rick Turkel (rturkel@cas.org)
Organization: Chemical Abstracts Service, Columbus, Ohio
References: <3ctqg6$q2b@mother.usf.edu> <3cuoou$qr@news.bu.edu> <3d3pqr$80q@marble.Britain.EU.net> <D12BtI.C4p@inter.NL.net>
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 1994 18:10:53 GMT
Lines: 39

In article <D12BtI.C4p@inter.NL.net>,
Miguel Carrasquer <mcv@inter.NL.net> wrote:
>In article <3d3pqr$80q@marble.Britain.EU.net>,
>Paul Sampson  <paul.sampson@octacon.co.uk> wrote:
>>> millert@grad.csee.usf.edu (Timothy Miller) wrote:
>>> > Does anyone have an antonym for Diminutive?  For some reason, such a word
>>> > has not been easy for me to find.
>>>
>>> How about augmentative?
>>>
>>> rm
>>>
>>
>>Or even augmentive (if you prefer a shorter word). They can be used
>>in the opposite way to diminutives, to display a lack of respect,
>>fear and loathing, etc. Offhand I can only think of analytic
>>examples within english (you great clod, etc) but've heard that
>>other languages use synthetic means to achieve the same end.
>>
>
>Spanish has several augment(at)ive suffixes: -ote/-ota, -o'n/-ona...

Serbocroatian has them, too: e.g., "z^ena" (woman), "z^enetina" (large
or ugly woman - this suffix also serves as a pejorative).  The opposite
is "z^enica" (the diminutive/hypocoristic of "z^ena").  I'm certain that
there's also a masculine augmentative, but its form escapes me at the
moment.

>--
>Miguel Carrasquer         ____________________  ~~~
>Amsterdam                [                  ||]~
>mcv@inter.NL.net         ce .sig n'est pas une .cig


-- 
Rick Turkel         (___  _____  _  _  _  _  __     _  ___   _   _  _  ___
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