-ette

 
Syllabification:

suffix

  • forming nouns:
  • 1denoting relatively small size: kitchenette
  • 2denoting an imitation or substitute: flannelette
  • 3denoting female gender: suffragette

Origin:

from Old French -ette, feminine of -et1

The use of -ette as a feminine suffix for forming new words is relatively recent: it was first recorded in the word suffragette at the beginning of the 20th century and has since been used to form only a handful of well-established words, including usherette and drum majorette. In the modern context, where the tendency is to use gender-neutral words, the suffix -ette is not very productive and new words formed using it tend to be restricted to the deliberately flippant or humorous, as, for example, bimbette and punkette.