itty
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Baby-talk form of little + -y. Compare itsy-bitsy.[1][2]
Pronunciation
[edit]- IPA(key): /ˈɪti/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - Rhymes: -ɪti
Adjective
[edit]itty (comparative ittier, superlative ittiest)
- (informal) Extremely small; itty-bitty.
- 1798 October 24, Jane Austen, “Letter VIII”, in Edward, Lord Brabourne, editor, Letters of Jane Austen, volume I, London: Richard Bentley & Son, […], published 1884, →OCLC, page 156:
- I flatter myself that itty Dordy will not forget me at least under a week. Kiss him for me.
Derived terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]extremely small
References
[edit]- ^ John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “itty, a.”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN: “Baby-form of little a. + -y suffix6.”
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “itty”, in Online Etymology Dictionary: “[…] baby-talk form of little (adj.). Compare itsy-bitsy.”