Latin and Greek both have diminutive terms that one can usually identify by the inflectional endings of the words. Hence, we know that κυναρίοις is diminutive because if we consult a Greek-English lexicon, it tells us that the lexical form of the word is κυνάριον: the ending suggests that the word is a diminutive form. And, in fact, lexica tell us that κυνάριον comes from κύων, which means "dog." So you can normally identify diminutives by the endings.
On the other hand, I don't think that ὀλιγοπιστίαν is diminutive; rather, the "little" part comes from the prefix ὀλιγό that's added to the word for faith. One word that people love to use now is oligarch/oligarchy, etc. Ergo, we can see that the ending does not make ὀλιγοπιστίαν diminutive but a prefix has been added to indicate smallness.
For other uses of the diminutive, see John 13:33; 1 John 2:1.
Friday, August 12, 2022
Diminutive Forms in Greek
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Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS G721:
ἀρνίον, -ου, τό, (diminutive from ἀρήν, which see) [from Lysias down], a little lamb, a lamb: Revelation 13:11; Jesus calls his followers τὰ ἀρνία μου in John 21:15; τὸ ἀρνίον is used of Christ, innocently suffering and dying to expiate the sins of men, very often in Revelation, as Revelation 5:6, 8, 12, etc. (Jeremiah 11:19; Jeremiah 27:45 (Jer. 50:45); Psalm 113:4, 6 (Ps. 114:4,6); Josephus, Antiquities 3, 8, 10.)
THAYER’S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006, 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc.
All rights reserved. Used by permission. BibleSoft.com
When I refer to that word, I render it as "lambkin."
Thanks and I agree that's a good example of a diminutive in Greek. I believe that Revelation uses "lamb" some 28 times with most of the occurrences referring to Christ.
In my view, the diminutive is different from the designation of youth and smallness in that it communicates a sense of affection.
What does bubba mean?
brother
In American usage, "Bubba" is a term of endearment mainly given to boys. Being formed from the word "brother", it often indicates that someone is a "little brother".
Bubba - Wikipedia
I concur that diminutives can be used to connote affection like "little children," but sometimes they can be employed as put downs like "little man."
I often refer to my grandsons as "hombrecitos" which means "little man." It is, for us, an affectionate term. However, yes, in a more sterile environment it need only refer to a minor.
I'm reminded of a Jewish joke...
A doting Jewish mother was dropping off her son for his first day in public school.
"Oh, my babushka, me bubba, me pride and joy, today, my babushka, you make me proud, you learn and grow, my babushka, and I will pick you up at 3pm sharp."
At 3pm she greets her babushka and asks him, "So my babushka, what did you learn today?" He replied, "Well, first of all, I learned that my name is David!"
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