kiji-

Swahili

Alternative forms

  • kij-

Etymology

From ki- (ki class(VII) noun prefix, diminutive prefix) +‎ ji- (augmentative).[1]

Prefix

kiji- (plural viji-)

  1. diminutive prefix used with monosyllabic stems and words in ki-vi class(VII/VIII), puts words in ki class(VII)
    ‎kiji- + ‎mti (“tree”) → ‎kijiti (“branch, stick”)
    ‎kiji- + ‎kitabu (“book”) → ‎kijitabu (“booklet”)
  2. (rare) expressive diminutive prefix
    ‎kiji- + ‎mtoto (“child”) → ‎kijitoto (“teeny-weeny little child”)

References

  1. ^ Nurse, Derek; Hinnebusch, Thomas J. (1993), Swahili and Sabaki: A Linguistic History, Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press, →ISBN, page 195
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