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DictionaryRoot: -etto
Italian

-etto

small; sometimes affectionate

Forms

  • -etto
  • -etta — The feminine form.
  • -etti — One plural form.
  • -ette — The feminine plural form.

Origin

An Italian ending for smallness with related forms in other Romance languages.

Note

Number and gender endings can make related borrowed names look different.

9 / 9
A slender steel dagger with a sharply pointed blade and small crossguard.
noun

stiletto

stih-LET-oh/stɪˈletəʊ/

A slender sharply pointed dagger.

Etymology
stilItaliandagger
+ettoItaliansmall; sometimes affectionate

Stiletto originally named a small, slender dagger. Its narrow, pointed shape supplied the image for a very thin high heel, and the shoe takes its name from that heel.

Full entry

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