-ke

• -ken

From earlier -ken, from Middle Dutch -ken, -kin, -kijn, apparently representing Proto-West Germanic *-ukīn, a double diminutive, from *-uk. The standard Dutch -tje and its variants are derived from -ke(n) through palatalization. Cognate with German -chen, Low German -ken, English -kin, -ock.

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-ke n (plural -kes)

1. Appended to a noun, making it diminutive.

• -kene

-ke (genitive -kese, partitive -kest)

1. A noun suffix that builds diminutives from nouns.

• kivi (stone) → kivike (a small stone)

Diminutives can be stacked, yielding -kene, -keseke, -kesekene. The longer forms are rarely used.

From -kka +‎ -e. Compare Erzya -ке (-ke) in Erzya эрьке (erʹke, “lake”).

• IPA^(key): /-keˣ/, [-ke̞(ʔ)]

-ke

1. Forms diminutive forms of nouns.

   ‎aalto (“wave”) + ‎-ke → ‎aalloke (“wavelet”)

   ‎siipi (“wing”) + ‎-ke → ‎siiveke (“aileron”)

   ‎lause (“sentence”) + ‎-ke → ‎lauseke (“expression; phrase”)

2. Forms nouns from verbs, often to describe the result of an action.

   ‎elää (“to live”) + ‎-ke → ‎eläke (“pension”)

   ‎seisahtaa (“to come to a standstill”) + ‎-ke → ‎seisake (“railway stop”)

3. (rare) Forms nouns from adjectives.

   ‎lämmin (“warm”) + ‎-ke → ‎lämmike (“something used to warm up”)

Back vowel harmony:

Front vowel harmony:

• -e
• -te

• § 257 ke-sanojen koostumus ja merkitys, Iso suomen kielioppi, 2004

• EK

• -ken (in other dialects)

Compare German -chen, Dutch -ke.

-ke (noun plural -kes)

1. (Low Prussian) Suffix used to form the diminutive of nouns and hypocoristic forms of proper nouns and other parts of speech.

   Brotke ― bread

   Anke ― Annie

   Gottke ― God

   kommke ― come (second-person singular present imperative, hypocoristic)

• Erhard Riemann (et al.), Preußisches Wörterbuch: deutsche Mundarten Ost- und Westpreußens (1974)
• A. Treichel, Dialectische Räthsel, Reime und Märchen aus dem Ermlande, in Altpreussische Monatsschrift neue Folge. Der Preussischen Provinzial-Blätter vierte Folge, volume 27 (1890), edited by Rudolf Reicke and Ernst Wichert, pp. 327–332; on p. 332:

  Aus Braunsberg wird mir noch gemeldet (Pfr. Preuschoff), daß dort und in der Umgegend die Verkleinerungs-Endsilbe -chen und -lein, erstere in -ke verplattdeutscht, überaus häufig und überall angehängt werden, wie z. B. Jacke! nêke! kommke! Ebenso an Personennamen. Man hört die Schulkinder ihren Gefährten also zurufen: Albrechtke, Ehmke, Eadmannke (Erdmannchen), Wulfke u. s. w.

• H. Frischbier, Preußisches Wörterbuch. Ost- und westpreussische Provinzialismen, volume 1, A–K (1882)
• H. Frischbier, Preußisches Wörterbuch. Ost- und westpreussische Provinzialismen, volume 2, L–Z (1883)

From Proto-Finno-Ugric. Compare Finnish -kka and Estonian -ke.

• IPA^(key): [kɛ]
• Rhymes: -kɛ

-ke

1. (diminutive suffix) Added to a word to express smallness, youth, unimportance, or endearment. When added to present participles, it can also express the instrument or place of the action indicated in the base word.

   egy (“one”) → egyke (“only child”)

   egér (“mouse”) → egérke (“tiny mouse”)

   ül (“to sit”) → ülő (“sitting”) → ülőke (“seat, small seat”)

• (diminutive suffix) Harmonic variants:

  -ka is added to back vowel words

  -ke is added to front vowel words

• -cske
• Appendix:Hungarian suffixes

• IPA^(key): [-ke]

• (allomorph after i) -che

-ke

1. Forms adverbs from nouns with a resulting meaning of ‘having X’, ‘with X’; must be accompanied by the prefix t- and can also follow a possessive suffix -i.

It is unclear if t- -ke is best analyzed as an adverbializing circumfix or as a separate unspecified person prefix t- and adverbializing suffix -ke.

-ke

1. Only used in -kene (distant past imeprfective suffix).

-ke

1. Allomorph of -e (adverbializer) used for stems with a reducing final syllable that begins with k.

• Cáceres, Natalia (2011), “-ke”, in Grammaire Fonctionnelle-Typologique du Ye’kwana, Lyon, page 150–151, 213–222

-ke

1. locative suffix in, at

• Nora Deering; Helga H. Delisle (1976) Mohawk: A teaching grammar (preliminary version), Quebec: Manitou College, page 104

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

-ke

1. now
2. and so
3. then
4. very well

   Yeboke.

   Yes, very well.

The suffix is usually affixed to the first word of the sentence.

• C. M. Doke; B. W. Vilakazi (1972), “-ke”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “-ke”