Pejorative suffix


A pejorative suffix is a suffix that attaches a negative meaning to the word or word-stem preceding it. There is frequent overlap between this and the diminutive form.
The pejorative suffix may add the sense of "a despicable example of the preceding," as in Spanish -ejo. It can also convey the sense of "a despicable human having the preceding characteristic"; for instance, as in English -el or the development of the word cuckold from Old French cocu "cuckoo" + -ald, taken into Anglo-Saxon as cokewald and thus to the modern English word.

Examples

Catalan

The Catalan language has pejorative suffixes.
  • -alla -alles Suffixed to nouns gives new nouns. Examples: gentalla. It's also used as a collective suffix.
  • -arro -arros Suffixed to nouns gives new nouns. Example: veuarra. It's also used as an augmentative suffix.
  • -astre -astres Suffixed to nouns gives new nouns. Example: poetastra. This suffix has also the meaning "indirect relation with".
  • -ot -ots Suffixed to nouns gives new nouns. Example: sabatot. Suffixed to adjectives gives new adjectives. Example: lletjot. As a suffix it also means "object", giving a lexicalized word.

Chinese

The Chinese language has pejorative suffixes.
  • -屄 bī, e.g. 二逼 èrbī "dullard", 傻逼 shǎbī "fool", 骚逼 sāobī "bitch"
  • -婊 biǎo, e.g. 绿茶婊 lǜchábiǎo
NOTE: this suffix is from the word 婊子 biǎozi "prostitute", so at first word suffixed with 婊 were used to describe only women, but recently it can be used to describe both men and women, for example, 圣母婊 shèngmǔbiǎo, which means people who pretend to be as merciful as goddesses on the Internet, from 圣母shèngmǔ"goddess"
  • -棍 gùn, e.g.淫棍 yíngùn "lewdster", 恶棍 ègùn "bad guy",
  • -鬼 guǐ, e.g. 色鬼 sèguǐ" lewdster", 醉鬼 zuìguǐ "drunkard"
  • -货 huò, e.g. 贱货 jiànhuò "contemptible wretch", 饿货 èhuò "hungry guy"

English

  • , e.g. coward, dullard, sluggard, drunkard
  • , e.g. Paultard, conspiratard, "Trumptard", libtard—a productive libfix abstracted from retard, perhaps influenced by the similar non-productive suffix -ard
  • , e.g. poetaster, philosophaster
  • , e.g. hipster, oldster
  • , e.g. peacenik, neatnik, beatnik
  • , e.g. mongrel, ''wastrel''

Esperanto

  • , e.g. veteraĉo "foul weather", domaĉo "hovel", hundaĉo "cur"

Hawaiian

  • -ā, e.g. lonoā "gossip"
  • -ea, e.g. poluea "seasickness"

Italian

  • -accio, e.g. boccaccia "ugly mug"

Japanese

  • -め, e.g. 「化け物め」 "That damn monster!" or 「可愛いやつめ」 "That darn cutie!"

Latin

  • -aster, denoting fraudulent resemblance, e.g. patraster "one who plays the father"

Ojibwe (Anishinaabemowin)

  • -ish, e.g. animosh "dog"

Portuguese

  • -eco, e.g. jornaleco "low-quality newspaper"
  • -inho, e.g. juizinho "bad judge"

Provençal

  • -asso, e.g. vidasso "wretched life"

Russian

  • -iška
  • -uxa, pejorative for non-personal nouns, e.g. černuxa, dramatic term for an unrelentingly bleak cinematic style
  • -jaga, pejorative for persons, e.g. skuperdjaga, skromnjaga, stiljaga, ''dokhodjaga''

Spanish

  • -aco, e.g., pajarraco "large ugly bird", negraco "nigger", moraco "raghead".
  • -ejo, e.g., lugarejo "podunk town" and librejo "worthless book" ; however, -ejo can also show endearment, as in festejo.
  • -illo, e.g., cantantillo "bad singer, pistolilla, cancioncilla.
  • -on, e.g. larguchón "large guy", simplon, payasón "annoying guy" ; like the suffix -ejo, can also be used for endearment, as in fiestón, big party.
  • -ote, e.g., discursote "long dull speech"
  • -ucho, e.g., casucha "hovel"
  • -zuelo, e.g., mujerzuela "whore"