DictionaryRoot: -el
Old French
-el
connected with
Forms
- -el
- -al — A related form influenced by Latin spelling.
Origin
Old French developed this descriptive ending from Latin -alis.
Note
It is distinct from smallness endings that happen to have the same spelling.
5 / 5
noun / verb
tunnel
TUN-uhl/ˈtʌnl/
An underground or enclosed passage, or the act of making one.
Etymology
The diminutive of “cask” first named a funnel-shaped bird net. Its English meaning shifted to “tube” or “pipe,” then to an underground passage.