-illa

== Catalan == === Suffix === -illa f (noun-forming suffix, plural -illes) diminutive suffix for feminine nouns forms feminine nouns meaning "type of" ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “-illa”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026 == Finnish == === Etymology === Originally a variant of -ella used on verbs ending in -ata, -ota, -ätä, having developed by vowel contraction: -Aðele- (-oðele-) > -A.ele- (-o.ele-) > -Aile- (-oile-). Denominal use has been innovated in literary Finnish in the 20th century. === Suffix === -illa (front vowel harmony variant -illä, stem -ile-, linguistic notation -ile- or -illA) Forms frequentative verbs. The resulting verb often describes a more or less leisurely or long-lasting activity, or an activity that is not overly goal-oriented. ‎salata (“to keep a secret”) + ‎-illa → ‎salailla (“to be secretive”) Forms action verbs which denote an activity closely related with a noun. ‎auto (“car”) + ‎-illa → ‎autoilla (“to drive a car”) (but not ˣautota) ‎maja (“hut”) + ‎-illa → ‎majailla (“to stay temporarily”) (but not ˣmajata) ‎pallo (“ball”) + ‎-illa → ‎palloilla (“to play a ball game”) (but not ˣpallota) ==== Conjugation ==== ==== Derived terms ==== === See also === -skella === References === Hakulinen, Lauri. 1941–2000. Suomen kielen rakenne ja kehitys ('The Structure and Development of the Finnish Language'). Helsinki: Otava/Helsingin yliopisto. === Anagrams === Alli, alli, lila == Latin == === Suffix === -illa inflection of -illus: nominative/vocative feminine singular nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural === Suffix === -illā ablative feminine singular of -illus == Spanish == === Alternative forms === -illo (with masculine nouns) === Etymology === Inherited from Old Spanish -iella, from Latin -ella. === Pronunciation === Syllabification: -i‧lla === Suffix === -illa f (noun-forming suffix, plural -illas) added to feminine nouns to denote a diminutive form Synonyms: -ita, -cita Coordinate term: -illo ==== Usage notes ==== If the noun has a final vowel (usually -a), it is dropped before adding -illa. In most cases, -illa 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, such as bombilla (“light-bulb”), from bomba (“bomb”). Different nouns tend to prefer different diminutive suffixes (see synonyms), though some nouns accept multiple diminutives and there is often regional or personal variation. For masculine nouns ending in “-a”, there is some alternation between the gender-reflecting diminutive -illo and the ending-reflecting diminutive -illa. When the latter is used, -ill- may be considered an infix. ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “-illo”, 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