-ecilla

== Spanish == === Etymology === Form of -cilla, rebracketed from words ending in -e. === Suffix === -ecilla f (noun-forming suffix, plural -ecillas) alternative form of -ecillo; added to feminine nouns to form diminutives ‎tienda (“shop”) + ‎-ecilla → ‎tiendecilla (“little shop”) ‎red (“net”) + ‎-ecilla → ‎redecilla (“small net; hairnet; reticulum”) ‎diosa (“goddess”) + ‎-ecilla → ‎diosecilla (“minor goddess”) ‎mano (“hand”) + ‎-ecilla → ‎manecilla (“hand (of a clock); needle (of an instrument); doorknob”) ==== Usage notes ==== If the noun has a final vowel (usually -a), it is dropped before adding -ecilla. In most cases, -ecilla is used simply to indicate a small or endeared thing, without changing the basic meaning of the noun; however, in some cases, it is used to effect a greater change in meaning, as shown in the examples above. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== See also ==== -ita, -cita, -ecita, -cecita === Further reading === “-ecillo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025