What does "-el" mean?

Suffix forming nouns, originally denoting an instrument, from verbs, usually spelt -le except after n and e.

What is a synonym for "-el"?

Common synonyms include: cule, ee, et, ette, icle, ie.

//əl// suffix

suffix ·Rare ·Advanced level

Suffix

1
Suffix forming nouns, originally denoting an instrument, from verbs, usually spelt -le except after n and e. morpheme
"runnel, shovel, dotel"
2
Suffix, originally diminutive, in words of mostly Romance origin. morpheme
"cupel, chapel, tunnel"
3
Diminutive suffix in words of Germanic origin. morpheme
"hatchel, hovel, gomerel"

Etymology 1

From Middle English -el, from Old English -el, from Proto-Germanic *-ilaz.

Etymology 2

From Middle English -el, a merger of two suffixes: * Old English -el (diminutive suffix) * Old French -el (diminutive suffix), from Latin -ellus

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.