-cule

The suffixes -cule and -uncle, with their adjectival forms -cular and -uncular are diminutives - they mean 'small', or 'very small'. They are both extended versions of the Latin -ulus (and its variant forms -ula, -ulum, -uli and -ulae), a diminutive suffix meaning 'very small'. In English, this general diminutive has taken several forms, such as '-icle', '-acle, and '-uscle'. Some words retain their Latin forms in English, including botanical words naming plants for which scientifically-minded gardeners use the Latin names of species, rather than the common English words.

This page contains lists of words that share this suffix, arranged in their different forms. There are some links to pages giving more detail, where the implications are interesting or seem to be of use to readers of AWE.

Latin-style suffixes in -ula, -ulum, and -ulus

English noun	Latin root	Approx meaning	Notes
auricula, auricle	auris 'ear' + -culus	1) name of a species of primula 2) more often now in form auricle 'external ear of an animal' 3) Species of intertidal mollusc 4) Various technical terms in biology	The flower's leaves are said to resemble a boar's ear, hence English name 'Boar's-ear'
calculus	calx, 'small stone, pebble', + -ulus	(Orig} any calculation Now one of several systems of calculation	Pebbles were used in counting and sums, as well as for games The Calculus now usu. = differential calculus .
calendula	calendae 'calendar', + -ulus	The common marigold (botanical)	Seen as an indicator of weather, or time, so connected with 'calendar'
cannula	canna 'reed', 'cane'+ -ula'	medical: 'small hollow tube to pass liquids	reeds and canes were used as pipes, of all sorts; so canna came to mean 'tube', 'pipe'
convolvolus	con-volvĕre 'to roll up together', 'to wrap round'	Genus of plants including bindweed & garden plants like Morning Glory
copula	co[m] 'together' + ap-Ä•re 'fasten, fit' + -ula	'a joiner', spec. 1) in grammar, 2) with various technical meanings in other subjects
cumulus	cuma 'a heap' + -ulus	Mostly a huge rounded 'summer cloud' Also 2) (Medical) a thickening, or accumulation of cells, round the ovum in the ovarian follicle	Odd that 'large cloud mass' is derived <- Latin diminutive
curriculum	curr- 'to run' + -culum	orig. 'a running', 'course' now always 'a course of studies'
fibula	contraction of figibula, from figere 'to fix' + -ula	'a little fastening', 'a brooch' The 'splint' bone: the thinner bone in human lower leg	Leg bone looks like tongue of a brooch or clasp
homunculus, homuncule	homo 'man' + -unculus	1) a very small person 2) Miniature human contained in sperm; grew in pregnancy in mother 3) Schematic representation of a human scaled in terms of e.g. importance of sense of touch	2 is a quite outmoded theory of conception.
modulus	modus 'measure' + -ulus	Various technical terms in mathematical sciences.	Often used with a defining term (e.g. Young's modulus) to label a constant
pabulum	pābulum from pāscere 'to feed'	'food', sometimes mere roughage or pap; fodder; fuel,	Now mostly 'food for thought' - of a limited, bland or insipid sort.
primula	primus 'first' + -ula	'the first little [flower]' [of spring]	The full Latin name was primula veris 'firstling of spring'
speculum	specere 'to look [at]' + -ulum	Medical instrument to help look inside orifices	cf spectacle below
tumulus	[?] tumēre 'to swell' + -ulus	An ancient burial mound	Used in archaeology. Plural: Tumuli

'animula, vagula, blandula

animula, vagula, blandula is a little poem attributed to the Roman Emperor Hadrian, and much quoted or alluded to.

Latin text	English version
Animula vagula blandula	Pale little vagrant soul,	animus 'soul' + -ula; vagus 'wandering' + -ula; blandus 'pleasant' + -ula
hospes comesque corporis	my body's guest and friend,
quae nunc abibis	where are you living now,
in loca pallidula rigida nudula	in some pale, cold, bare place? -	pallidus 'pallid' + -ula; rigidus 'inflexible' + -ula; nudus 'bare' + -ula
nec ut soles dabis iocos	and you'll not make your usual jokes

English suffix in '-acle'

English noun	Eng. adj.	Eng. verb	Latin root	Approx meaning	Notes
binnacle	-	-	habitāre 'to dwell' + -culus	Housing for compass or light, etc, on board ship.	Habitaculum [Lat} 'a little lodging' -> Spanish bitácula which decayed phonetically to binnacle by 1750
obstacle	[cf obstruct]	-	ob-stāre 'to stand in the way of' + -culus	An 'obstruction', 'hindrance' - 'something standing in the way of'
oracle	oracular	-	orāre 'to orate, speak' + -cules	'The mouthpiece of the gods'	Originally, priest[ess] who transmits supposedly supernatural messages Later, also a place where the gods spoke, such as Delphi
pentacle	pentacular	-	penta- 'five' + -culum	Five-pointed star	Loosely, any magic symbol with 5 (sometimes 6) points
pinnacle	-	-	pinna 'feather' + -culus	The top, or peak (orig. of a building, tower etc)	"It is likely," says OED, "that the architectural sense of the Latin word arose in military slang by analogy with the plume on a helmet."
receptacle	-	-	receptare 'to harbour or shelter [a fugitive, etc]' + -culum	1) 'vessel to hold liquids' 2) '[biological] organ to contain fluid' 3) Generally, something to hold an article, solid or liquid
spectacle (x2)	spectacular	spectate	spectare frequentative form of specere 'to look at	(1) 'a public display [for entertainment]', 'a show' (2) 'something worth seeing', 'a sight' (3) 'a device for seeing better' (usu. a pair of spectacles, to correct sight of both eyes).
spiracle	spiracular	-	spira[re] 'to breathe' + -culus	Small opening, orig of volcanos & similar geological phenomena; later, for breathing, usually in lower animals Also, 'blow-hole' of whales
tentacle	tentacular 'of nature of a tentacle' tentaculate 'with tentacles'	-	tenta[re] 'to test, feel' + -culus	An organ of feeling; the 'arm' of an octopus or squid

English suffix in '-icle'

Don't confuse the spelling -icle (which is what this page is about) with other words ending in -ical, like 'practical', 'comical', 'cynical', 'mystical' and 'tactical'. These are formed with the suffix -al (used to make adjectives) added to a root ending in -ic.

English noun	Eng. adj.	Eng. verb	Latin root	Approx meaning	Notes
article			artus. 'a joint', + -culus	1) part of something written 2) A 'piece' of non-fiction written for a periodical publication 3) A word-class in grammar 4) A matter, subject or point under discussion 5) An element or fundamental part of a belief 6) A thing; a material item in a list]]	See the separate page at article for its fuller meanings See also articulate (below) for a different development in meanings
canticle	-	-	canticum 'a song' + -iculus	'a little song', partic. 'a hymn with words from the Bible or elsewhere in early Church history'	From verb canere, cantare
clavicle	clavicular	-	clavis + -iculus	'collar-bone' (anatomy)	the bone is like ancient keys, supposedly
curricle	-	-	currere 'to run' -iculus	'2-wheeled carriage'	usually drawn by 2 horses abreast.
fascicle	-	-	fascis 'a bundle' + -iculus	'a small bundle', (1) in various biological uses (2) a 'signature' or section of a book published separately before all signatures are bound together & published	The fasces were a bundle of rods + an axe, carried as badge of authority. Fascicle is cognate with fascist.
follicle	follicular	-	-iculus	'little bag'; a small gland, usually arranged spherically round a cavity, containing an organ, commonly a hair.
orbicle, orbicule	orbicular	-	orbis 'a globe' + -iculus	a microscopically small sphere, in botany and geology
pannicle ("now rare" OED)	-	-	pannus 'a cloth' + -iculus	a membrane
particle	particulate see also particular below	-	parti- 'part' + -icules	a minute fragment of matter, usu. now 'sub-atomic'; an indeclinable small item of vocabulary (see particle in grammar)
pedicle/pedicule/pedicel	pediculate	-	ped- 'foot' + -iculus	'a stalk', or 'narrow joint'
reticle	-	-	rete 'net + -icle	= reticule (1); a device for studying light
reticule	reticular, reticulated	-	rete 'net + -icule	(1) grid of fine lines in an optical sight; 'crosshairs' (2) a handbag made of netting
reticulum	reticular, reticulated	-	rete 'net + -iculum'	various biological structures, including 2nd stomach of a cow, the 'tripe', resembling a net; often a membrane
testicle	testicular	-	testis 'witness' + -iculus	male reproductive organ, the 'witness' to a man's fertility

English suffix in '-ule'

English noun	Eng. adj.	Eng. verb	Latin root	Approx meaning	Notes
animalcule	-	-	animal 'animal' + -culus	A microscopic organism, a species only visible under a microscope	Now obsolete, this word was adapted by early microscopists from classical Latin 'a small animal', such as an insect
capsule	-	(encapsulate)	capsa, 'box', 'case' + -ulus	A small container, esp. in common use 'a dissolving container of a dose of medicine'	Several technical meanings in biological sciences.
globule	globular	-	globus 'globe' + -ulus	A drop; a small round particle usu. liquid
nodule	nodular	-	nodus 'node', 'knot', 'joint', 'lump'	Medical, 'a lump', 'a hard growth'; mineralogy, 'a small rounded unit of a [solid] substance'

English suffix in '-uncle'/'-uncular'

English noun	Eng. adj.	Eng. verb	Latin root	Approx meaning	Notes
uncle	avuncular	-	avus 'grandfather' + -unculus	the sibling of a parent, in relationship to the child
carbuncle	carbuncular	-	carbo[n]- '[piece of] charcoal', 'carbon' +-culus	1) gemstone of [fiery] red colour (specifically, to modern jewellers, a cabochon-cut garnet 2) med. inflammatory red lesion or pustule; 'a boil' 3) 'an excrescence', something unpleasant that obtrudes on the sight.
peduncle	pedunculate, peduncular	-	ped- 'foot' + -unculus	See pedicle/pedicule/pedicel above.
[funiculus] (obsolete, other than rare technical uses in Biology)	funicular	-	funis 'a rope' + -culus	'operated by a rope'	a funicular railway is one drawn up and down a slope by a cable.

English ending in -uscle, -u[scu]lus or -u[scu]lar

English noun	adjective	verb	Latin root	Approx meaning	Notes
corpuscle	corpuscular	-	corpus 'body' + -culus	'a small body', partic, a particle in the blood
crepuscule	crepuscular	-	creper 'dusky', 'dark' + -usculus	'of twilight', 'dusky'	French still uses la crepuscule for twilight, though is is rare in Present-day English
macula	macular, immaculate	to maculate (rare) to 'spot', 'stain', 'defile'	macula, 'a spot in the retina'	1) a spot in the eye or on the skin; any thing like a spot, such as 2) a sunspot	macular damage is a major cause of blindness in the old
muscle	muscular	'to muscle [in]', to coerce, to threaten (with violence)	mus 'mouse' + -culus	one of the organs of movement	In many Indo-European languages, the movement of biceps is compared to a mouse running under the skin
	ocular	[inoculate]	oculus Latin 'eye'	'to do with the eye' or optics	probably cognate with 'eye', both from Indo-European oq- 'to see'
(osculum) rare & technical	oscular	osculate	os 'mouth' + -culus	'to do with the mouth' - partic. 'kissing' archaic geometrical 'touching a plane or curve' biology: certain small openings in bodies	mostly jocular nowadays
[See particle above]	particular	particularize

particular scapular spectacular vascular

nodule pellicule, pellicle pustule reticule vestibule (uncertain)

meticulous miraculous ridiculous

acidulate calculate circulate gesticulate inoculate peculate speculate

NOT bascule; crapulous

- much research yet to be done

reticule

ridiculous miraculous meticulous

clavicular corticular particular scapular spectacular vascular

acidulate calculate circulate

peculate speculate

- much research yet to be done