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DictionaryRoot: -et
Old French

-et

small or lesser

Forms

  • -et
  • -ette — The corresponding feminine French form.

Origin

An Old French ending for smallness, continuing earlier Romance formations.

Note

Smallness can suggest affection or lesser importance, but those tones depend on the word.

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noun

doublet

DUB-lit/ˈdʌblət/

A unit consisting of two related parts.

The English words potion and poison form an etymological doublet.

Show an etymological doublet through three physical word slips: the common source potio branches to the differently formed English words potion and poison.
Etymology
doublOld Frenchdouble, twofold
+etOld Frenchsmall or lesser

The base means “double” or “twofold,” with a diminutive ending. Doublet developed the sense “one of two similar things,” specifically including words whose different forms descend from the same ancestral word.

More examples

  • The telescope uses a doublet made of two joined lens elements.
  • This gemstone doublet has a thin opal layer attached to a backing.
  • Shirt and skirt are doublets that share a common origin.

Forms

doublet · doublets

Similar words

pair
Does not require the two items to be closely related.
duo
Usually describes two people working or performing together.