-ette

1. a noun suffix occurring originally in loanwords from French, where it has been used in a variety of hypocoristic formations (brunette; cigarette; coquette; etiquette; rosette ); as an English suffix, -ette forms diminutives (kitchenette; novelette; sermonette ), distinctively feminine nouns (majorette; usherette ), and names of imitation products (leatherette ).

-ette

suffix

1. small

   cigarette

   kitchenette

2. female

   majorette

   suffragette

3. (esp in trade names) imitation

   Leatherette

Gender Note

English nouns in which the suffix -ette designates a feminine role or identity have been perceived by many people as implying inferiority or insignificance: bachelorette; drum majorette; farmerette; suffragette; usherette. Of these terms, only drum majorette —or sometimes just majorette —is still widely used, usually applied to one of a group of young women who perform baton twirling with a marching band. A woman or man who actually leads a band is a drum major. Baton twirler is often used instead of ( drum ) majorette. Farmer, suffragist, and usher are applied to both men and women, thus avoiding any trivializing effect of the -ette ending. See also -enne, -ess, -trix.

Word History and Origins

Origin of -ette¹

From French, feminine of -et noun suffix; -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of -ette¹

from French, feminine of _-et

Example Sentences

Technology, such as motion-activated lighting and CCTV, can also help protect people, especially children, from the risk of drowning, says architect Daniel Ette.

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Second, the idea of replacing miscellaneous accrued bachelor/ette stuff with expensive coordinated marital stuff barely got a foothold before it dawned that 1.

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“Paul was such a go-to guy,” said Ezekiel Ette, a friend.

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The second will follow in early 2022 and focus on the others artists represented in the collection, like Willia Ette Graham and Arbie Williams.

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I didn’t like it because I don’t like names with “ette” – you know, it looks like a little girl’s name.

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